Dec. 8th Planning Commission Hearing

For neighbors who are following and/or concerned about Hood College's development plans and how they affect the surrounding neighborhoods, I would encourage participation at NAC meetings and attendance at Planning Commission hearings. Monday night's discussions about college's last-minute addition of a 2,500sf locker/storage building to their Site Plan application revealed how little the college thought about impact to the community. Though the plan presented was not intrinsically faulted, fundamentals such as keeping trees and maintaining the presence of the Magnolia Avenue entrance were completely overlooked -as evidenced by the lack of concrete answers.  On paper, such things may seem insignificant - but in reality, they make a big difference as to how their actions affect our neighborhoods. We owe it to ourselves and fellow neighbors to be involved in the public process and to air concerns directly to the Planning Commission, as they have the power to vote and impose conditions on projects - and once their vote is cast, the door to public input and influence is all but shut.  This week's hearing was a partial success on that front, as the commission took genuine interest in the public testimony and held the college accountable.  The more we show a presence, the more consideration we are given - not only by City officially, but (hopefully) the college.