The focus for our remaining riverfront should be on retail and residential development wherever possible. Enough land has been lost to government.

Developing land for government use such as parks, sporting venues and government office buildings costs us taxpayers by removing the land from the tax base. If governments need additional land, they can try to get permission from other government agencies (the Corps of Engineers, for example) to develop land already under government ownership.

Riverfront is valuable, and privately owned structures on those lands will provide a nicely increasing tax revenue.

With a little guidance from zoning ordinances and planning commissions, our remaining riverfront will produce beautiful and functional developments while still allowing reasonable public access.

-- RON ASPLUND, Pasco