Dear Members of the Rockland City Council:

Please reply to me so I know you have read this. Please tell me what your current thinking is on this issue and what questions you have that need answering before you vote on the issue of smaller houses and lots in Rockland.

I am a Rockland homeowner, now in my 60s. I moved to Rockland, in spite of the city's high taxes, because I believe the benefits of living in the county seat and major service center are of great value.

There will come a time for me, as it does for all of us, when it would be safer for all concerned for me to walk from place to place, rather than drive. While I love the quiet and space of more spread-out places, my desire to live modestly in a world of limited resources encourages me to choose a city for my home.

I'd like to see sustainable small houses in Rockland mixed in with the traditional large residences that occupy our neighborhoods. We don't need senior housing as much as we need mixed-demographic housing where young families help shovel snow for geezers and old folks can help care for children. I want to live in a small house in Rockland where I can walk to the library and stores (after my kids pull my driver's license because my eyes are failing and my reaction time limited).

I don't want to live in an age ghetto, but I no longer need four bedrooms and a front-to-back living room. There are a few sizable lots in town that could each host five to seven small houses with shared garden space. There are also a number of boat houses and carriage houses, from Rockland's days of sail and horse, that could be converted into comfortable and affordable dwellings. We should encourage these smaller footprints.

Thank you for your service. I look forward to hearing from you.

Shlomit Auciello lives in Rockland