Dear editor,

Comox is situated in a prime location to encourage a nautical theme to draw small businesses, street-side shops as well as services and pedestrian interest.

Renovated and new buildings such as the Comox Medical Centre, the public library and lately the residential building bordering the Comox Golf Course all depict innovation and a satisfying architectural presence. They fit their surroundings and enhance the landscape. The buildings on Comox Avenue used to fit the vision of a small and friendly downtown.

Then a previous council took away the view of the interesting boat-filled marina and small businesses and had an uninteresting building put front and centre in the park blocking the view of the marina with nothing to draw the public in. This accompanied the tall business building on Balmoral, totally taking away the beauty of the water, mountains, marina and park from drivers and pedestrians on Comox Avenue. Two strikes and where is the third? It is the proposed six-storey residential/business that is being considered for the Port Augusta/Comox Avenue site. Please reconsider this plan. Too big, too tall and too uninteresting architecturally. That building needs to be north of Comox Avenue, not on it and not below it! The Lorne Hotel corner needs a really welcoming, friendly, nautically themed building that encourages a pub, and welcomes some of the independent shops that used to be here in Comox.

We encourage you to do whatever is possible to change the direction of the town from its current state of mostly medical services that don鈥檛 encourage browsing tourists and citizens. We need a vibrant, retail-oriented downtown that is fun to walk through, fun to stay and enjoy the view, fun to shop for unusual items as well as necessities (the mall can handle that part) and will become a destination unto itself. Please don鈥檛 settle for mediocrity simply because it is available.

Ann and Barry Johnston, Comox