Sidewalks.
Back in 1986, Kemper Freeman Jr. took a courageous stand against sidewalks. From the New York Times:
THIS onetime Seattle bedroom community, now the fourth-largest city in the state, has long been known as the city without sidewalks. It is virtually impossible, as a local reporter documented a few years ago, to walk continuously from one part of downtown to another.
In an effort to bring the biped back to Bellevue, the city is requiring the developer of the new $260 million Bellevue Place, the largest project in regional history, to build sidewalks, widen streets and contribute to transportation systems.
Kemper Freeman Jr., the developer, says the demands are ”unfair and unreasonable.” His supporters say the requirements will have a ”chilling effect” on other developers, but city officials say that those who cause the congestion should have to pay for it.
Bellevue has grown like crazy since then, so the sidewalk mandate didn’t seem to stunt development like Freeman said it would. Oh well, it’s just another thing he’s wrong about.