Editor:
In response to Kevin McDonald’s letter (Optimist, Dec. 7), I guess what Mr. McDonald really means is that it’s time for ‘Sunny Tsawwassen’ to be the privilege of residents who can afford to live on “typical lot sizes in cherished single-family neighbourhoods.”
Those who cannot afford such luxuries will be relegated to ‘Shady Tsawwassen’.
There is no doubt that the community of Tsawwassen should accept its fair share of densification. We, as residents, are going to have to embrace this to help mitigate the B.C. housing crisis. That does not mean current residents in the immediate area of the town centre should shoulder the overwhelming densification that the current Century Group plan proposes.
I am not opposed to the redevelopment of the Tsawwassen Town Centre mall. A well thought out plan with mixed use commercial and residential units, including integrated green spaces and affordable housing options would be an improvement. However, the densification proposed by Century Group would put huge pressure on our infrastructure.
Mr. McDonald’s ‘not-in-my-backyard’ attitude is not the answer to our housing crisis. Inevitably, older homes built on half acre lots in these neighbourhoods, should be replaced with townhouses or multiple single-family homes with coach houses or suites. This is the densification that we also need to embrace.
Mr. McDonald would like to see his “cherished single-family neighbourhoods” with large lot sizes remain unchanged, and I certainly cannot blame him for this. I would also like my cherished multi-family neighbourhood, with its four-storey buildings and views of trees and skyline, to retain its character.
Should we aspire to be like downtown Vancouver, where towers block out sunlight, views of your neighbour’s walls are commonplace, and constant traffic congestion is a thing to be tolerated? Is this the future we really want for Tsawwassen 20 years down the road?
D. Duncan
