I am not surprised by the excitement held by the Chamber of Commerce for the prospects of the Central Issaquah Plan. After all, it was this very same Chamber that is responsible for the current incarnation of Issaquah: 75 percent of the valley floor as parking lots? Whom do we have to thank for that pro-business paradigm that we now recognize as “unsustainable”?

Complete neighborhoods? I live in a neighborhood that is quickly becoming vacant of pioneer homes; they are razed, turned into duplex homes that are then purchased and rented out, along with a plethora of day spas and wellness centers. Does the valley floor need the height of the Highlands or the density of Bellevue to be the Issaquah of the future?

It does not matter how many diverse stakeholders or sustainable buzz words this plan has – what will end up happening to Issaquah will be exactly what the Chamber of Commerce and business interests prefer, and like nothing that any of us would want to recognize in 30 years time. This new “growth by committee” is just another toke on the growth “weed” that our city has become permanently addicted to.

Bryan Weinstein, Issaquah