Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for July 27, 2023

Marin City housing plan not an equitable proposal

From my perspective, it appears our cultural attachment to greed and inequality continues in the ongoing history of the otherwise wonderful Marin City community.

Once again we, as a county and country, are taking advantage of the less well off. The proposed development at 825 Drake Ave. in Marin City is yet another vivid example of this (“Marin City protest targets Drake Avenue housing development,” April 7). The county is mandated by the state to build a certain number of low income housing units. That’s admirable, but it must be done equitably.

Despite having a very small footprint, the Marin City community has a large number of the county’s affordable, publicly assisted, multi-family rental units. Obviously, Marin City is not a NIMBY (“not in my backyard”) community. The residents support affordable housing. But the proposed development will be a five-story building with 74 units and only 24 parking places. I am worried this will result in inadequate street parking for the current residents, let alone the new ones.

The project will block significant sunlight for everyone, including housebound seniors. Because it will sit right across the street from the only park in Marin City, I suspect it will impact the lives of children and families. Based on income data, I think it is very unlikely that current Marin City residents will be able to occupy the units being proposed within the community’s borders.

This is how gentrification happens. As a county, we have a moral responsibility to our most vulnerable residents. We need to share the responsibility of affordable housing in all parts of the county and finally put a stop to dumping on Marin City. We must raise our voices against the proposed development at 825 Drake Ave. in Marin City.

— Lynda Sheridan, Mill Valley

Article about student’s D-Day project inspiring

I was profoundly moved by the article published July 22 with the headline “Marin student and teacher honor unsung D-Day hero.”

The story of discovery for the student regarding the young man who died in Normandy was wonderful. The article brought back what it means to have the freedom we all enjoy here in this country. Freedom is never free. It should be cherished and guarded, as long as it is not forgotten in the legacy of this country.

— Jade Leong, Mill Valley

Bay Area sea-level cost estimates sound very high

The astounding estimate of $110 billion to protect the Bay Area from rising waters (“Study: San Francisco Bay sea-level protections will cost $110B,” July 19) is a wake-up call to all concerned.

The Netherlands has dealt with this for decades. Dutch leaders invested in the construction of dams, locks, levees and dikes. The project was completed in 1997 for $5 billion. Obviously a similar project would cost more, but hopefully not $110 billion.

Officials in Holland still invest yearly to maintain the protection. There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel if there is expertise and experience available in addressing this type of flooding. If California and the federal government commit to yearly investments, hopefully this catastrophe can be avoided before it’s too late.

— Dr. Kenneth Olshansky, San Rafael

Creating excuses sets up young readers for failure

I am responding to the letter to the editor published July 17 in which the author asserted that teaching kids to read to grade level is as difficult as rocket science. The letter implies that, unless the socioeconomic landscape of America drastically changes, kids will have a harder time learning to read at grade level.

I couldn’t disagree with this more. Focusing on this will only set children up for failure. It’s as though we’ve created a built-in excuse to how it’s society’s fault. Doing so takes everyone off the hook, including the learner. I am convinced that to already be pegged a failure (unless many socioeconomic ducks line up) only serves to shortchange the child’s ability and motivation to succeed.

It also gives the teacher an excuse to say that the kids are unteachable. No one ever said it was easy, but equating it to rocket science gives nobody a chance. As a retired teacher myself, getting to know my students, communicating effectively with them and having them (as well as their parents) buy into how you’re trying to help, always seemed to lead to good outcomes.

— Wayne Rellevam, Falmouth (Massachusetts)