Editor's Note: This letter was sent to George D. Bartell, CEO of Bartells Drugs with a copy to this newspaper.

Dear Mr. Bartell:

I recently learned that you are thinking about moving your store from downtown Ballard to the new building planned for the old Denny's site on 15th Avenue. Please don't.

I understand that you are short of parking and that you'd like a bigger store. I'd like you to have more parking and a bigger store, too, but I'd like you to have it right where you are, and where you've been since the 1940's. You're in the middle of pedestrian Ballard where I can walk to do all of my errands. Our people-oriented downtown is the envy of our city.

Your current building isn't great. Those big blank walls aren't so friendly. But there's an opportunity for you to develop a better building, with all of parking you need, a more friendly face to show to the park and the library. The zoning allows you to build income-generating uses upstairs (but not too tall, please!). This would be better for Ballard, too.

The building you'd move to doesn't have the potential of the current location. I'd have to drive to shop there. The architect hasn't yet demonstrated the design talent or urban design acumen to make a responsible contribution to our town. At a recent presentation the architect admitted that he didn't know what a Ballard building should look like. If he'd spend some time here, as you have, he might know us as well as you do.

I've enjoyed your talented and friendly service for decades. Who would your new neighbors be? A giant supermarket chain with a pharmacy and surface parking and a giant chain pharmacy with surface parking. I think of you as a local, family-owned business, and I'd like you to stay in our Ballard family.

Robert Drucker

Ballard

3003 Northwest 66th Street Seattle Washington 98117