I'm an ordinary citizen like you who grew up here, just like my father before me. We've watched the county develop and change, we've embraced growth, but we've done so while preserving the unique character that makes our community what it is. What's currently being proposed – cramming 170 homes into 16 acres at 1700 NE 49TH St – threatens to blur that character indefinitely. The low-income housing plan, structured with no garages, no yards, does not fit with the surrounding .25 - 1.00 acre or more properties that most of us own. 

The inability of our hardworking first responders to meet current demand is worrying. The fact that average response times are increasing is a symptom of a problem, not the problem itself. Our community needs to grow responsibly, mindful of the realities of our current resources, rather than straining them further.

We are not asking for progress to halt, but rather for it to be thoughtful and compatible with the existing community. Developers ought to consider the environmental impacts of such high-density housing -- sustainability is as much a public responsibility as it is their own.

The proposed change from Agriculture to PUD high residential usage passed on Feb 24, 2025.  Please sign the petition or come to the Marion County Commission meeting, March 18th to ask that this Development be denied.