The recent letter (“A Waiting Game,” The Reporter, Jan. 15) by John Galvin saying he isn’t proposing adding 210,000 commercial space and 144 residential units to his southeast quadrant in the Town Center, instead proposing to shift it from other quadrants, is highly revealing.

First, it demonstrates that his long campaign is about him and not about what’s best for the Town Center landowners and the City of Sammamish.

He suggests taking zoning from other landowners who are counting on decisions made by the city over five years. These landowners depend on the financial benefits from these upzonings.

Galvin proposes taking this away from these citizens for his own benefit. I imagine that the Westside landowners will find this revelation distressing.

Second, Galvin attempts to perpetuate the myth that all infrastructure on the Eastside is in place and ready to go.

This contravenes studies by the City’s own consultants that estimated it will cost $12 million to provide infrastructure on the Eastside and $8 million on the Westside.

The Eastside has some advantages over the Westside and vice versa. The argument is not black-and-white, but shades of gray.

Third, Galvin argues that the majority of the commercial development is on the Westside where there is “no” infrastructure.

Although the underlying premise is false, assume his infrastructure assertion above is correct. The Eastside has 180,000sf of commercial. There is another 90,000sf adjacent City Hall, where full infrastructure truly exists: 270,000 of 600,000sf of commercial has “infrastructure.”

Galvin, as usual, overstates his case.

Scott Hamilton

Sammamish