Mr. DeYoung has waited patiently for 10 years, looking forward to 2008, to regain control of the Canterbury Square property.

According to deeds at Canterbury, Mr. DeYoung would have the option to buy back the property with his offer of $10 million.

Last winter, an offer of $35 million for the property was made and accepted by more than 80 percent of the residents of Canterbury Square.

Now Mr. DeYoung is using a clause in the deeds to negate that sale because he wants it to become a commercial site rather than a mixed-use site.

The issue that impacts Canterbury homeowners is the possibility that they would receive a fraction of the potential sale price if Mr. DeYoung were to buy the property for a third of what is being offered. Remember that all the owners in the park are senior citizens and the proceeds of this sale are being counted on to help them with financial needs in their final years.

If the sale does not go through and the amount that each family receives is considerably less than negotiated, it will have a serious impact on their ability to meet their financial obligations.

In a recent article, Mrs. DeYoung made a comment about how deteriorated the park was looking.

Does she realize that many residents have moved out because they thought that the sale was imminent? As residents moved to other living situations, the properties became vacant with no possibility of finding new owners and limited opportunities to rent their units. Some homeowners have even died in the last few years.

Maintaining these empty units has fallen onto heirs or family members who may not even live in the area.

The DeYoungs may have a legal basis for their complaints against the Criers and the sale of Canterbury Square.

But is this the image or legacy that they want for their long-standing involvement with the City of Woodinville? Do they want to be known for their greed at the expense of senior citizens?

Are they so determined to hold up the sale because they want to make sure downtown Woodinville is not friendly to families and seniors who want to live within the city?