Domination of wealthy organizations

I own a houseboat along Westlake Avenue North and I’ve been involved in South Lake Union since 2008, when the South Lake Union Friends and Neighbors (SLUFAN) announced that they would like to see towers of up to 400 feet along Lake Union.

SLUFAN (now the South Lake Union Community Council) was woefully underrepresented by actual residents; there were two at the time. It should come as no surprise that architects, developers, union representatives and other development interests would want giant towers to dominate the landscape.

Some of us unhappy with the efforts of SLUFAN started our own group, the Lake Union Opportunity Alliance, named after what we saw as a huge opportunity to do this right.

The result of this process has been preordained from the beginning, we just didn’t know it. Vulcan is going to get its 240-foot towers fronting Lake Union and we won’t even know how much sun will continue to shine on Lake Union Park until it’s too late [“Vulcan, McGinn bargain for tall towers at Lake Union,” page one, Nov. 15]. For all of history, except for this moment, Seattle has supported a step-down in height approach toward bodies of water.

I don’t have any views to protect, I don’t stand to gain or lose anything as a result of this, but I will attest to the fact that a small group of committed individuals cannot effect change against a powerful, wealthy and connected organization such as Vulcan. I hope someone else can be a better shepherd for the neighborhood and its interests; I did my best.

— Kevin McCarthy, Seattle