I read with interest your editorial, "Make Macefield house a landmark," (June 25) and agree with most of its sentiments. Growth has been too rapid in Ballard as current city statistics have shown. A June 18, 2008 column by Danny Westneat in the Seattle Times indicated that current permitted residential units have surpassed baseline projections for the neighborhood by 174 percent. These are city growth projections for the 20-year period, 2004-2024. My own figures gained directly from Seattle Department of Planning and Development, placed the growth at 150 percent of the 2024 total.

Ballard has lost much of its character, as too many slapdash, uninspired condos have been thrown up too quickly by greedy developers. (And they are greedy!)

One aspect of its character was the Ballard "Denny's" as you called it. We, who tried to save the building did careful research on it, finding every article on the Manning's chain that built it in all Seattle newspapers, including your own. Our research uncovered a history every bit as interesting and historically significant as that of the Macefield House.

I regret that you didn't bother to read some of our work. You would not simply refer to the now demolished icon as a throwaway Denny's. You fell for the propaganda fed to you by the Benaroya Companies, their Las Vegas-based developers, Rhapsody Partners, and their PR man, Louie Richmond. Now, enjoy the architectural mediocrity that Rhapsody will put in its key location. On top of this, it will sure be nice to have another drugstore on that corner.

Alan Michelson

Seattle