I am putting in writing what everyone has been thinking about our new downtown project, Park Place. It’s just plain ugly.

Thanks to our town council we are seeing the development of apartments that have the look and feel of stark concrete bunkers. I have traveled to various countries in Europe and have seen the remnants of communist collective living; gray, colorless, concrete multi-story structures still dominate the skyline of cities in Bulgaria and Romania.

But surely I must be mistaken, as the Park Place structures do have color: a black and white exterior complemented by a green that can only be termed “yuck.” The irony is that in approving this project, our self-portrayed business-oriented and capitalist-minded town officials have created the feel of a town in a communist country. A great example of “American exceptionalism.”

For the almighty tax dollar, our elected officials sold out the town’s aesthetic charm. We who reside in the downtown area, along with those who like to spend time there, no longer view empty desert expanses but rather have the privilege of looking at what I predict will be apartments empty of residents and storefronts looking for businesses to occupy their interiors. In 20 or 30 years these concrete boxes will be derelict eyesores ready to be torn down.

P.S. Well, I got that off my chest. Some readers will view this letter as one of those crazy rants we read every week in The Times. (To that I say, my letter doesn’t come close to my all-time favorite from back in 2009 or so claiming the jet contrails in the sky over Fountain Hills proved that “Obama is spying on us.”) So please take it for what it is meant to be, a sincere concern from a 20-year resident.