[Former Burien City Manager Gary] Long's opinion piece of May 16 week about the controversy surrounding the demolition of the Lora Lake Apartments was long on accusations and short on facts. He engages in the very behavior-distortion and misinformation- that he so vigorously condemns.

At stake is a housing resource that would cost over $33 million to replace at today's costs, so it is in all of our interests to make sure we get the facts correct.

The King County Housing Authority has always understood that it was required to turn the Lora Lake property back over to the Port at the end of the lease. It also understood that, at the time the lease was entered into, the Port and the City of Burien intended to tear it down. The Authority is moving forward to honor its contractual obligations and is making sure that the residents find housing. That is not the issue.

Here's the real issue: We face a critical and rising housing shortage. From a public policy perspective, does it make sense to spend over $1 million in taxpayers' dollars to tear down the 162 units of perfectly fine housing that are outside the runway protection zone and then spend millions more to replace them, when the region is in the midst of its most pressing housing crisis ever?

Our region actually has less rental housing now than it had two years ago. The only new housing being built by the market is targeted to affluent households. The federal government has stopped funding affordable housing. Local governments around the region are scrambling to fill the gap.

The prospect of one government tearing down perfectly good housing while other governmental bodies in the same region are spending yet more money to try to build new housing raises legitimate policy questions that the region collectively needs to address.

Contrary to Mr. Long's assertion, the Authority has been in discussions with the City and the Port since last August (we're not surprised that Mr. Long doesn't know about these meetings or conversations, he was replaced as city manager several months earlier). During this time we have repeatedly suggested that the housing be kept operational at least until concrete plans for redevelopment are in place and contractors are ready to proceed.

There are no firm redevelopment plans whatsoever-no developer, no contract, no design, no financing, no permitting applications or approvals, no construction contractor.

Since 2000, the City of Burien has received $1.4 million in cash flow from Lora Lake, far more than a vacant lot will generate. Additionally, the property has paid substantial water and sewer taxes that will now be picked up by other ratepayers. Why not keep this cash flowing until the last possible minute? The desire to tear down Lora Lake is particularly puzzling given the fact that the Port has 270 other acres of vacant, undeveloped land (50 acres in Burien) sited around the airport.

If the envisioned big box retail fails to materialize, it may actually be in the City's best economic interest to keep Lora Lake open permanently. The revenues provided from continued housing use are significantly greater than those generated by a warehouse. The Port's own documents show a reduction in payments to the City from the $200,000 per year currently being provided by the Housing Authority to $13,000 annually if the housing is replaced by a warehouse.

Much has been said about the suitability of this site for housing given its proximity to the third runway. We've looked closely at the real facts around noise levels at this site. What Port officials fail to disclose is that approximately 10,000 people around the airport live in housing with the same or higher noise levels than Lora Lake. This number is expected to grow to 14,000 over the coming years.

A noise impact analysis performed by the same company that performs the Port's environmental assessments shows that noise levels at Lora Lake, due to quieter engine technology, will actually be lower, even with the third runway in operation, than when the complex was built in 1988.

So while in an ideal world airports would be miles away from residential neighborhoods, Lora Lake is no different than thousands of other housing units in the area. It is fully compliant with every federal, state and local code regarding noise levels and environmental conditions. Ironically, at the same meeting that the Burien City Council voted to tear Lora Lake down, it also approved a new seven-unit subdivision that is actually in a higher noise contour than Lora Lake.

A quick look at a map shows that the community's amenities, which include a clubhouse with a gym, Jacuzzi and indoor swimming pool, an outside pool and a sports court, are not in the runway protection zone, and do not have to be demolished as Mr. Long has stated.

There is an acute housing shortage. There is no documented shortage of warehouses in the region. More and more working people cannot find housing near their jobs. Commutes are growing and government is spending a fortune on widening roads and other transportation improvements.

Why not be absolutely certain that there is another better use for this property before rushing headlong to create yet another vacant lot around the airport?

Editor's note: Rhonda R. Rosenberg _is director of communications _for the King County Housing Authority,