Huge developments in Maple Valley and Black Diamond will have huge impacts.

As Mr. Ryals opinion column points out YarrowBay is “purely profit motivated” and the “I got here first and bought my land now I want to control what you do with yours” is not as true as it used to be.

The column was a good read pitting two sides against each other, but Mr. Ryals needs to live in the now, not in this pre-1990’s mentality.

Before the 1980’s, developments, condo’s, strip malls and apartments were built almost anywhere a developer could imagine or finagle a city to make it so.

Inadequate city foresight lead to willy-nilly developments causing unacceptable impacts upon local citizenry. These negative development impacts resulted in a groundswell of anger that went all the way to our state level in the 1980’s and resulted in the Washington state Growth Management Act in 1990. This state mandated law now required every municipality to adopt growth management for all

and to have this under state guidelines. All members of the community need to be involved in this managed growth process to insure these guidelines are implemented correctly and also bring the locals concerns and values into play.

Maple Valley and Black Diamond development as with all cities effect surrounding communities and even the region at large.

What type of human environment/community Maple Valley and Black Diamond become is not about corporations versus local yocal. It’s about healthy human-managed growth.

From the quality of out personal surroundings, to the regions character, from the existence of the killer whale in Puget Sound to our treasured back yard banana slug. All will be impacted from these developments, even a legacy for our grandchildren.

In a nut shell it is about growth management reflecting foresight and values.

Get involved, democracy counts.

Martin E. Walters

Maple Valley