To the Editor:

Re: “Students Speak Up on C-Town,” News, March 27

I am surprised and disappointed that this article indicates students are more concerned about building heights than they are about (1) the failure of planners to provide adequate parking for occupants of the high rises and (2) the planners obvious agenda to cow students out of their cars.

It is incredibly irresponsible for planners to design this scale of housing without sufficient parking space, and students should be outraged. Insufficient parking affects everyone in our community negatively; it detracts from the quality of life for every resident in every neighborhood. No public transportation system will replace the car for people who can afford to buy a car.

As for the concern about competition between landlords to bring down the cost of housing, I think you’ll find that the kind of canyon housing that is being considered here will never help bring down the rents or create more competition. This is not low cost housing. First of all, these will be among the most expensive places to live in the state. Secondly, you can be sure that the various infrastructural devices that will go along with this, such as public transportation, will add more fuel to the fire of increased taxes for all property owners. The main culprit of rising rents is rising taxes. This year school taxes increased 9 percent and City/County taxes increased 10.3 percent, for me. Student renters should keep in mind that increases in taxes, insurance and utilities are passed on to them in rent increases, and there is going to be some huge increases in all of these coming soon. If it is true that 97 percent of the residents of C-Town are students, then I don’t understand why students are not coming out in droves to really make a difference in their community’s quality of life and cost of living.

Tim Terpening