The city has even gone so far as to bring in the Urban Land Institute, a highly regarded independent research organization, to help evaluate different options for the property. This initiative is especially notable for the broad and diverse array of interests that are also financially supporting its involvement.

It was a surprise, then, to see the commission this week direct staff to set aside 4 acres of this immensely valuable public property for an adult assisted living facility, before any public workshops and with little input from the neighborhood most directly affected by development at Truman Waterfront, Bahama Village.

What happened to public workshops? Why not wait until the Urban Land Institute has had a chance to evaluate the situation? Why the rush?

Seeking ways to help care for aging residents is a laudable goal. Clearly the limited number of spots at Bayshore Manor is inadequate to provide homes and assistance for those who would like to live out their days here. At one point, the city was considering using some of the Stock Island land formerly occupied by county government offices.

Which site is more appropriate -- or if there are other alternatives -- are still unresolved questions. Unfortunately the commission, by a narrow 4-3 vote, appears to have closed the door on examining all the options. Taking this move before the long-promised public workshops, and before the Urban Land Institute has even arrived in town, is particularly disastrous because it confirms the worst fears many have had since the prospect first arose of the city receiving this land from the Navy.

The city's long and sorry history of bungling property ownership has understandably raised concern and suspicion on the part of many longtime citizens. The first Truman Annex transfer went from what could have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to an exclusive gated community in private ownership. The Poinciana Plaza transfer went from a bargain for the city and a chance to help find housing for the neediest residents to a costly acquisition. The Truman Waterfront planning started promisingly, with lots of public workshops and lots of input from diverse sectors of the community and economy. Finally, it seemed, the city was going to do it right.

But the unavoidable delay and changes to the plan caused by 9/11 appear to have changed the city's attitude. For instance, the Navy held on to the Outer Mole, reducing the acreage of property received by the city. The city has ever since been insisting on a comparable percentage reduction in all uses of the property, including parks -- even though the city can continue to use the Outer Mole for cruise ship berthing, its intended purpose under the original conveyance proposal. The city also put out a Request for Qualifications for an architect/engineer contract to oversee development, received submissions and short-listed applicants -- then stopped in its tracks and started heading toward a design/build approach that would give the public much less input into the final uses of the property (and a designer every incentive to maximize commercial uses of the property, since they would also be the builder).