We are writing an additional letter of protest to the city regarding its notification policies for developments in residential neighborhoods. The original letter was written by Jenny Sheldon in “My Nickel’s Worth.”

There is a proposed four-story, 129-unit extended stay hotel to be built on 27th Street and Conners Avenue in Mountain View. This huge hotel is smack in the middle of a residential area, across the street from a day care with 100 children, two senior living centers and a block from the community park. The developer had to get an amendment to the Bend Development Code to allow his project in the Medical District Overlay Zone. This amendment slid through the process with an obscure notification on Page F3 of the classified section of the Sunday paper and was approved by the City Council. That’s the reason Bend’s Planning Commission chair resigned recently.

Bill Wagner said Bend’s planning process is dominated by city employees and not input from residents or the planning commission, The Bulletin reported.

We feel the city of Bend is responsible for making sure that the neighborhoods affected by any development should always receive timely and appropriate, not minimal, notification so we can voice our concerns — especially with the exceptionally negative impact this hotel will have in its proposed location.

Going forward, we want a requirement for signage on any lot or parcel being considered for zoning change or development. It should include the developer’s name, address, phone number and the proposed use for the property.

The potential negative impact of this hotel on the safety and livability of the surrounding neighborhood is extreme. It includes the safety concerns for the children and elderly, loss of property value to the surrounding residences, worsening the traffic on 27th Street, as well as the congestion on Tucson Way, the transient component inherent with a hotel that potentially could invite criminal activity and the 24-hour nature of a hotel in a quiet neighborhood creating unwanted noise.

Another major impact: traffic. City Manager Eric King says we cannot expect any improvement to Conners and 27th Street “for several years,” because of cost. Several years? Really? The city’s traffic numbers show roughly 20,000 vehicles a day going through 27th and Conners. Why build the hotel at this time, without the infrastructure to support it?

The developer, Hallmark, had a neighborhood meeting on March 12 after the amendment was approved by City Council. More than 50 residents attended the meeting and were understandably angry. It’s not that anyone is against the hotel being built in a commercial area, but no one wants this in the middle of a neighborhood, creating danger for the children in the day care and the elderly who walk in this area.

The developer stated his case for building his hotel is because the area needs rooms for relatives of patients at the hospital and rehab facilities. But Hilton is in the process of building an extended-stay hotel (115 rooms) behind the Wilco on Greenwood and 27th. The Comfort Inn and Sleep Inn (total rooms — 121) are close by. Based on the occupancy rates averaging 65 percent, these three properties, totaling 236 rooms, would render this development unwarranted and superfluous.

We are not NIMBYs. We know Bend is growing, and development is part of growth.

We ask that the developers and the city government be mindful and respectful of Bend neighborhoods and how they are impacted by development policy.

Fellow Bendites, be forewarned. This could happen to you. If you feel the way we do, sign our petition at change.org (under the City Council of Bend). Let’s work together to keep Bend livable.

— Marilynn Jacobs is a Mountain View resident and Jim Connor is the president of the Oak Tree Home Owners Association.