Don’t route metro beltway through Golden: 2 letters

Published Oct. 5, 2009 at 5:03 p.m.

Re: “Build the Jefferson Parkway,” Oct. 2 guest commentary.

Fish swim. Birds fly. Developers develop. That’s what they’re programmed to do. Their reasons for wanting the beltway completion always boil down to “we need this road to attract further development to the region.” My question, as a non-developer, is: why?

The western foothills in the area now are a rapidly vanishing part of what makes Colorado, and Denver, so attractive to many people: open space, long vistas, leisurely pace, low traffic, wildlife, and wildflowers. What do the developers see? Apparently not much more than a vacuum just crying out for tract homes, concrete, urban sprawl, Wal-Marts, strip malls, gas stations, and traffic. What a great improvement that will be! Why can’t many of us citizens see the beauty of this vision?

I hope that the mayor of Golden and other concerned citizens will continue to oppose this “vision” of the developers. I for one am pretty happy with the way things look out there just the way they are.

Doug Egan, Golden

This letter was published in the Oct. 6 edition. For information on how to send a letter to the editor, click here.

---

I read with interest the names of all of the signers on Preston Gibson’s commentary regarding the Jefferson Parkway. It seems to me that most of them, including Mr. Gibson, should be minding their own business. Golden does not want the parkway, so stop trying to shove it down their throats.

If you build it, they will not necessarily come. Take a look at the Northwest Parkway boondoggle, which was quasi-paid for, barely used and now sold to a different country. The taxpayers who have already paid for studies regarding this issue are once again footing the bill for yet another.

Meanwhile, I’m sure a whole consortium of special interests will make a ton of money speculating in land deals and building the highway. Beautiful vistas will be marred, wildlife will be disrupted and people will lose their private property to eminent domain.

Terri Broersma, Brighton

This letter was published in the Oct. 6 edition. For information on how to send a letter to the editor, click here.

Back | Read more at Denver Blog2