How would you like the University of Washington dropping a 500-student dormitory into your residential neighborhood?
The UW-Bothell poobahs pushing this scheme aren’t dummies. They knew it would go over like a lead balloon. So they did what comes naturally to scheming bureaucrats: They concealed their intentions as long as possible, waged a campaign of deception, and worked behind the scenes to change the permitting rules to fast-track the project through the permitting process before anyone wised up.
Shame on them.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the neighbors. Five hundred students living in a high-rise dormitory just 60 feet from their backyard fences will make their home unlivable. It will bring noise, traffic, garbage, and loud music into the neighborhood. UW-Bothell whines they couldn’t find a property big enough for the dormitory anywhere else. Tough! UW-Bothell has survived this long without dormitories. Let ’em figure out how to make do, like they always have. That’s what college administrators get paid their big salaries for.
Read the story here.
A typical college dormitory building
Photo: This is what a large college dormitory looks like. Would you want one of these 60 feet from your house? (This one is on the campus of Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts.) UW-Bothell’s neighbors want the university to site the dorm at a more appropriate location, such as on a campus, or at least somewhere away from residential neighborhoods.