Residents split on Link: preservation and traffic concerns clash with calls for more downtown housing

Public comment on the Link dominated the Aug. 12 meeting, with dozens of speakers offering detailed endorsements and objections. Supporters described the project as an opportunity to add residents who will patronize downtown businesses and reduce outward sprawl; opponents warned that a six‑story building at the city entrance would overshadow historic buildings and exacerbate parking and traffic problems.

Speakers in favor included downtown business owners and economic development advocates who said adding residents within walking distance of shops and offices would sustain small businesses and raise tax revenue. “More residents close to businesses means more activity, more small business, and life returning to our streets,” one supporter said. Opponents — including preservationists and many nearby homeowners — repeatedly asked whether a smaller, three‑story or R‑3 multiple‑dwelling alternative had been adequately considered and requested a design review process. Several speakers also urged retention of the Lindsay Funeral Home structure or a plan that preserved its historic character.

Multiple commenters raised practical concerns about parking enforcement and the possibility that unpaid resident parking would spill into adjacent neighborhoods; others asked whether the city’s water, sewer and emergency‑response capacity matched the scale of the proposed development. Those concerns were a central rationale for Council’s decision to defer and require facilitated engagement.