A new greenway is planned for what’s anticipated to be an area of Delta that will undergo a major transformation.
The city’s Climate Action and Community Livability Advisory Committee recently received a staff update on the draft concept for the 119B Street Greenway in the Townline Neighbourhood.
It’s one of several new greenways envisioned in the city.
The Townline Special Development Area Concept Plan identifies a greenway along the west boundary of the Townline area, providing an uninterrupted north-south bicycle and pedestrian route along the west side of 119B Street between 92 and 96 Avenues (Click on the above photo images to see the proposal).
It’s currently planned to accommodate a three-to-four metre path.
Details on the exact design will be determined in later stages of the Townline Special Development Area Concept Plan.
Also called the Townline Node, the Townline Neighbourhood is currently dominated by older commercial buildings fronted by parking lots, located in the northeast corner of North Delta near the intersection of Scott Road and 96th Avenue.
Often referred to as “the triangle”, the area is bounded by the City of Surrey to the north and east, the railway line to the west and 92nd Avenue to the south.
The proposed long-term plan is to encourage major redevelopment, changing the area from industrial and service uses to a residential neighbourhood with mixed-use buildings along Scott Road.
It’s anticipated that the plan will accommodate up to 2,200 new residential units with a range of heights, but predominantly six-storeys with a few high-rises.
The long-term development vision is consistent with the final recommendations by the Mayor’s Housing Task Force for Scott Road, which identifies several new districts along the corridor including Townline as an “Innovation District” that can accommodate the highest densities and tallest buildings.
The proposed densities would be highest near 96 Avenue and gradually decrease towards 92 Avenue.
A task force report also recommended several features and amenities to contribute to the Townline area’s livability including, among other things, a new central park surrounded by active uses, as well as a multi-use trail along the railway corridor and 119B Street.
The multi-use greenway would help link the district to various other North Delta neighbourhoods.
“Each of the three districts should plan for active transportation greenways that connect out to surrounding neighbourhoods. In the Townline area, a greenway will run parallel to the railway tracks. In the Central District, greenways are to be situated along 84 Ave, 86 Ave, and 88 Ave for direct connections to the Social Heart. In the Garden District, greenways should connect the respective neighbourhoods to Cougar Creek and Watershed Park,” the report explains.
City council, meanwhile, recently granted final approval by agreeing to issue a development permit for a 29-storey high-rise in the Townline area.
The mixed-use development in the 9300-block of Scott Road (9365 to 9383 120th Street) and 11000 block of 93A Avenue (11959, 11969 93A Avenue), will have 314 residential units.
The project will comprise a residential tower with ground floor commercial space, a daycare which would be owned by the city, as well as a five-storey rental building with some of the units to charge below market rental rates.
