Please join your fellow Ferndale citizens in encouraging our city council to support local businesses, and a strong and vibrant downtown retail core. In early August, the city council will vote to approve the city planner's recommendation to annex nearly 150 acres of rural land on both sides of I-5 at Grandview Road, and simultaneously rezone the land to "regional retail". The city planner stated in his planning documents that the only financially viable use of that land is for "big box" retail, such as Walmart or Costco. On the face of it, it might sound convenient to have a Walmart just 6 miles north of downtown. But the reality for our local business owners is that this big box retail development will draw customers and dollars out of our community, away from our downtown, and divert them to national chains. For every dollar that leaves our community forever, we'll gain a few cents in tax revenue. Support for big box retail undercuts local families who work hard to carve out livelihoods for themselves, support their families, and bring much needed vitality to Ferndale's downtown. By annexing and rezoning the land at Grandview Rd. the City Council erodes family-supporting jobs created through local business ownership, and replaces them with minimum wage part time jobs with no benefits. In addition to undermining Ferndale's downtown, and drawing the city's customer base 6 miles north of town, the annexation will impact our quality of life. Let's face it: most of us live here because we value Ferndale's rural setting, while still being close enough to the hustle and bustle of Bellingham to get what we need, when we need it. Let's keep Bellingham's congestion in Bellingham. Do we really want the I-5 interchange at Grandview Road to look like I-5 at Meridian or Sunset? What will the traffic be like when hundreds of BP Refinery workers are flooding the intersection during shift changes? At the public hearing on July 6, Council members were in near unanimous agreement to proceed with this annexation and rezoning. It's up to us to tell them NO. Please make sure your voice is heard! Add you name this petition! Add a comment in the comment field. Email it to other Ferndale folks who care as much about a vibrant downtown as you do. And when you're done, take a moment to email the city council members directly (you can find the email addresses as the city website: www.ci.ferndale.wa.us) to tell them what you think. We can make a difference, and we have the whole month of July to do it!! Thank you for your support. Ferndale Citizens for a Vibrant Downtown

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