There is no doubt that we need more housing choice in Delta.
Kicking the can down the road is not an option, so, let’s attempt to solve the problem. A problem is, after all, an opportunity to improve.
Delta wasn’t put on the provincial “naughty list” for fun. No, a lack of planning by previous municipal governments has put Delta in this perilous position.
The need for a new Official Community Plan is clear and that likely will be mandated soon. Delta’s new OCP will provide the framework to pragmatically address a serious problem.
Although only 20 percent of participants in the OCP public engagement sessions were against growth in Delta, there is considerable blow back from the community, particularly in South Delta, that suggests that a new OCP is being rushed and that somehow our voices will not be heard when applications for development within the new OCP are submitted. Although Bill 44 (a provincial mandate) says there will not be public hearings for applications that comply with a new OCP, the public can still engage in meaningful public discourse for major development applications. Getting hung up on the phrase “public hearing” is a waste of effort - just as the process is itself - as noted by the provincial government.
Mayor and council, and Delta staff, have a duty to scrutinize development applications based on merit. That scrutiny is not going away as the result of a revised OCP.
There are some who say that they support growth in our community but seem to veil that support amidst a complex set of objections that are designed, it would seem, to actually say no, we don’t want to do anything. Complacency comes at the peril of our general community health.
I understand the angst that some people feel when their way of life is perceived to be threatened. What I don’t understand is how contention can breed such animus.
There has been a lot of nasty and disrespectful rhetoric out there, showcasing a dark side within our community, that is unfortunate to see.
Insinuating payoffs and back-room deals amongst politicians and developers (a classic), calling elected officials names, shamefully assaulting personal commentary, dissing the importance of community newspapers, and the usual pile of bombastic conspiracy theories and doomsday scenarios, are unfortunate by-products of this planning exercise.
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” - Benjamin Franklin.
