I have had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with John Tayer, Dan Powers, and Sue Prant, three of the people who signed the guest opinion “Let building height moratorium lapse” (Daily Camera, March 5). These are all fine people, and I share their view on some transportation issues concerning our fine city of Boulder.

However, concerning the issue of density and building height I could not disagree more. Now is the time to hold firm to the height moratorium, as it is for the Blue line — and we should also hold firm in our commitment to open space. Having lived in Boulder for only 40 years, I still hold tight to the reasons I came to adopt Boulder as my home town — open space, beautiful vistas, and a smaller town feel. If I had wanted to live in a big city I would have moved to Denver.

Who is behind the reversal of the measures put in place by our forward thinking city leaders? For the most part, developers, planners and others who have a business interest in seeing more major development in our town. Others are interested in living in a city more like Denver, Berlin, or San Francisco. (I was in a Planning Board meeting about three years ago when I first heard this opinion voiced by one of the developers at the meeting.)

Why do I love Boulder? Because it is a special place, a unique city and area. This has been eroded bit by bit over the last 20 years and at an accelerated pace.

Once you do away with the height limits on new construction, you can never go back. Once you develop open space, you can never go back. Once you provide water/sewer above the Blue Line, you can never go back. Now is not the time to throw away the remaining heart and soul of Boulder.

I am sorry that the “feeling” of the height limits seem clumsy to those of Open Boulder, Better Boulder etc. What feels clumsy to me is the quick and dirty development deals that have led to the high rises on Pearl east of 30th, the transposition of the “Transit Village” to Junction Place and the focus on more and more building rather than developing better transit options to all the county’s “L” cities, Broomfield, Superior and beyond.

I believe my opinion is that of the silent majority of Boulder. I hope we are silent no more.

Michael C. Deragisch lives in Boulder.