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<DIV>In a message dated 1/18/2007 2:47:56 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
wheadle@yahoo.com writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Well, I
can't afford the condo's or whatever they are<BR>that's going up on Route 1,
which are "only" in the<BR>$300 thousands; I can see where the town is going
to<BR>upscale to the point where people like myself, who've<BR>lived in the
area 10 years or more and are in<BR>apartments, will be upscaled right out of
town.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>This is ridiculous. "Upscaled out of town"? I don't know if you've checked,
but there isn't ANYTHING for sale, almost ANYWHERE inside the beltway for less
than $300K. Are you suggesting that we promote <U>urban blight</U> in order to
preserve some sort of made up bizarro Mayberry-esque facade? Riverdale
has got to be able to keep up with other townships inside of the beltway, if not
LEAD them. And that means increasing the tax base, through new residents that
will lead to new businesses, and vice-versa. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>and<BR>perhaps that's what a lot of the upscale folks want,<BR>to get
rid of us "riff raff?" (And yes, I HAVE gotten<BR>some serious attitude from
quite a few people in town<BR>when they find out I live in an apartment -
everyone<BR>"knows" what people who live in apartments in town are<BR>like,
right? (sarcasm) </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>I take offence to that statement, because prior to 2004 when I bought
my first house (the house I'm in now) in Riverdale, I have always been a renter.
I grew up in apartments, raised by a single parent who couldn't rub two nickels
together, but made ends meet. But I've never felt defensive about it because if
anyone didn't respect me as a result of our lively hood, I didn't really care! I
respected myself, had respect from my true friends, and that was all that I
cared about. And I do not consider myself an "upscale folk".
<EM>(Dog-gone/rich/high-falutin'/ muckity-muck upscale folks, done run me out of
town!)</EM></DIV>
<DIV>Pardon me, and my candor. But wanting your town to be progressive does not
make you an upscale folk. Whatever that means.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>I
realize that money makes the<BR>mare go, as the old saying goes; however, I
can see<BR>that the town is headed towards becoming
another<BR>condo/Starbucks/Trader Joe/Ben and Jerry's generic<BR>yuppy
'burb. </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>Starbucks? Trader Joe's? Ben and Jerry's? </DIV>
<DIV>Promise?!?!</DIV>
<DIV>Oh, those things would be just horrible wouldn't they. I mean we already
have McDonalds and The Little Giant (formerly McDonalds). What would become of
THOSE fine establishments? (now THERE'S sarcasm).</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>And
there's nothing really wrong with<BR>that, except what we have now, the unique
mix of<BR>architecture, people, incomes, and so forth, will<BR>vanish and
there will be nothing in town to make it a<BR>special place to
live. </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>It'll be
just like everywhere<BR>else. But, like I said, if cookie cutter is what
you<BR>want... <BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>Why can't we have both? A township is made up of the people that live
there, not the businesses that are there. People in Riverdale love this
town and want what is best for this town. And nice things like Starbucks, Trader
Joe's and Ben and Jerry's would be awesome to have in walking distance. My wife
and I moved here 10 years ago, like yourself, with the hopes that Riverdale
would grow and thrive, and we would be able to grow and thrive with it. </DIV>
<DIV>The unique mix of architecture, people, incomes, and so forth, will NOT
vanish. Adding condos and those establishments will NOT make Riverdale
a cookie cutter town, if the folks don't let it. </DIV>
<DIV>Clever social conservation is wonderful. Totalitarian preservation, is
narrow minded and destructive.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jay Wright</DIV></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>