Waterfront is for everyone, not just condo owners

Where will we park if nine blocks of downtown waterfront property are filled from sidewalk to sidewalk with five- to seven-story buildings?

These buildings will have interior parking, locked and keyed, for the condo owners. Surface parking lots will be gone.

Where will non-condo people park when we: Take our children and grandchildren to play at the fountain or playground? Plan to have dinner or shop nearby? Want to walk around Capitol Lake or along the Percival Landing boardwalk? Attend Arts Walk, Harbor Days or any other outdoor event?

We all rely on surface parking near these amenities. Our taxes created these amenities for everyone's enjoyment. To lose evening and weekend parking means we can't use them. They become the private domain of the privileged condo people.

Where will the rest of us park? We already invested our tax dollars to purchase and enhance the waterfront for the benefit of everyone. Will we now be told to tax ourselves again for a parking garage?

Nine blocks of tall buildings means even more traffic on Fourth, Fifth and Water streets, already a bottleneck. Everyone wants downtown housing. Many areas are more suitable for it. We do not need to sacrifice the waterfront.

Oppose using this public amenity for private profit. Oppose the downtown waterfront rezone.

Eleanor Winkler, Olympia