So, Will, one of the regulars ta DL, spewed his feeling about the UW and Montlake. You see, somefolks are concerned that the transit station on campus will disrupt parking and traffic into the U Dub. Wiil, a bike riding single ftom Belltown's Minihattan District, dissed the blue bloods who talegate and the righ folks living in the cottage style houses across the canal form the UW.
Here is my reply:
" Will
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WADR, your comment about the UW is FOS.
I can guarantee you that the UW does not make a fucking cent off of parking. For one thing, it would be illegal for them to do so. For another, there is a little matter called present value. Can you imagine the real value of the Husky parking lot if it were used for almost anything else???
Or maybe you think the Huskies make money ..ya know like the Sonics? Nope. Even with slave wages for the employee-students, it has been years since the Huskies even broke even. YOUR tax money at work providing little things like admin costs, free rent, free classes, yadda yadda. The UW is fun even if you do not get to study with Professor S.
As for the wealthy people across the bridge in Montlake, your standards of “wealthy” need some sharpening, maybe a lot of it. The community affected by this is obviously not poor, but in a spectrum from Hunts Point and Elite Downtown Condoes (I understand a condo in the 4 seasons may cost in the 10s of millions), to the Heights, Magnolia, Laurelhurst, Mercer Island Shorefront … yadda yadda .., y’all get to the Montlake neighborhood not far before you get to Greenlake, West Seattle, etc.
More to the point, what is wrong with the good folk of Montlake living in a nice neighborhood? YOU get hot n bothered when someone challenges the privileges of the Belltown Yuppyvillagers, is Montlake different? If these people get pricked do they not bleed? (sorry).
NIMBY IS a real issue in Seattle .. NIMBY in Montlake, NIMBY in Belltown, NIMBY in Broadmoor, etc. Some folks, e.g. the bizarro wealthy developers clearly have more political clout with Mayor Nickles than others. Hell, I live in a “wealthy” neighborhood … my house would likely buy two in Montlake and it may be at the bottom of our street. We can not even get the city to put a traffic slowing device in effin Aloha or the Holy Names School for Wealthy Catholic Schoolgirls to open their doors once or twice a year so us wealthy neighbors might enjoy the facility! (they do, of course politely use up all the in street parking for assorted money making occasions, not having a Husky parking lot! )
Were you here when the Downtown Business Ass Association forced the city to turn what was supposed to be a Union Square into any alleyway connnecting Nordstrom’s and Macy’s?What civic spirit they showed!
Anyhow, we are all on the same side when it comes to Seattle needing better leadership, someone to deal with Nimbyhooded Neighborhoods, a real transit system instead of the Escort Service Choo Choo, etc.
Here is my idea once again. Build a Boulevard using Montlake, Rainier, 23rd, and Lake City Way. Is there some reason not to? Hell we could even put light rail on it with spurs to Mercer Island and the 4 Seasons! Put some private cars of the train and I’ll betcha SLUM (Seattle Lakecity University Mercer) might be MORE popular than the SLUT!
As always, may the O be with you."