In a March 5 letter to the editor, “Legal appeal of midtown project aims at vision for Portland,” the authors of that letter suggest they are suing the city because they believe the proposed midtown development doesn’t fit into the Bayside Vision and are suing to work “with the city and our community to build that far-brighter future.”

However, it should be noted that the co-author of that letter is the same Peter Quesada who was quoted in this newspaper in 2011 as saying the city is “most likely about to pick the wrong partner” in The Federated Cos. (“UNE: City too quick to sell land in Bayside,” June 3, 2011).

That article was in response to the city choosing Federated over a rival proposal, and it was published long before Federated released its first architectural renderings for midtown (September 2012) and long before the City Council voted to increase the height limits (April 2013).

This is also the same Peter Quesada who has refused to remove or add a gate to the fence between his properties on Marginal Way (where Trader Joe’s, Walgreens and Planet Fitness are located) and the Bayside Trail, thus making the trail less accessible (“Landowner balks at trail-to-Trader Joe’s gate,” Nov. 7, 2010).

Ironically, Peter Monro of Keep Portland Livable, one of Quesada’s co-litigants in the suit against the city, has argued that midtown will make the Bayside Trail less accessible for the same reason – even though Federated has adapted its plans to improve and promote foot traffic between midtown and the trail.

Promoting foot traffic is in Federated’s best interest, given the retail associated with the development. Peter Quesada has ignored the requests of his own retail tenants to do the same.

Marc Drouin

Westbrook