Editor,
I read the news article, “Langley eyes funicular, walkway for marina access fix,” about Langley considering using eminent domain to put a public walkway through several residential waterfront properties. Way to go, Langley. Rile up your property owners who have owned those family properties for decades! OK, sorry, I couldn’t help it.
Langley has fewer than 10 low/no-bank residential waterfront home sites in the entire city. These are rare, and therefore, have greater value than if there were many. These property owners are right to be concerned about privacy, vandalism, and future sales values. The walkway would be in very tight quarters — closer than a sidewalk.
The charrette was explained as a public meeting, to be just one of several public meetings to be held regarding transportation discussions for the growing Wharf Street commercial and marina district. The $500,000 grant is from Island County citizens, all 79,000 people. The grant was made in response to the Port of South Whidbey’s successful work to create deep water moorage suitable for larger tourism boats as well as other moorage. I hope the Island County grant money cannot be used for Langley’s eminent domain action.
In no way does a walk path around Sunrise Point to First Street serve the ADA needs of many people, nor the gear hauling needs of boaters and families. In no way does eminent domain respect the generations of the original families who own the homes at Sunrise Point.
Everyone needs to understand that the transportation options (elevator, funicular, bus, trolley on wheels) are not simply to serve the 130 people who came to the first charrette meeting — these transportation ideas are meant to mainly serve the far greater community that lives outside of Langley and who live off Whidbey Island — it is these guests who are the reason that the Island County transportation grant came about.
Langley is only 1,100 people. Langley cannot financially afford to take beachfront properties by eminent domain, nor should the city be looking at the grant money from the 79,000 Island County folks to do so either.
LEANNE FINLAY
Clinton
