As a 34-year resident living near downtown Kirkland, I was saddened to read of the ownership change at Kirkland Parkplace, with the sale of the Touchstone Corp. ownership interest to its partners Prudential PRISA II fund.

Touchstone, a locally-based real estate development company, worked long and hard to put together a project with many new amenities for downtown Kirkland. But it was essential to find a major tenant to fill substantial space prior to construction and the Google decision not to occupy Parkplace was a devastating blow to the proposed project, which now appears to be back at the drawing board stage.

We must all realize that over the past dozen or so years, Bellevue has taken over the lead in office space construction, retail development, as well as hotel construction. In addition, the Bellevue Collection has more restaurants than all of downtown Kirkland and has created a mix of retail/office and residential space second to none in Washington state.

Kirkland has been hurt by its big sibling to the south, and with new construction of perhaps 2 million square feet of space south, east and north of Bellevue Square, it is likely that problem will continue for years to come for Kirkland.

Let’s all hope that Prudential owners, as well as Kirkland civic and political leaders, can find a way to make that center viable. Otherwise, it will continue its blighted status, right in the center of town.

And hopefully Totem Lake Malls will have new life too. For two of Kirkland’s three major mixed-use developments to be on life support – that’s not good for Kirkland, its tax base, and its attractiveness to new residents, businesses and visitors.

Paul Berton Birkeland, Kirkland