Editor:
Re: Densification in Delta
In both North and South Delta there has been much debate about the province’s new density targets and the viability and desirability of high-rise condominium towers in our neighbourhoods.
While the debate in Tsawwassen is over towers in the 20-storey range, in North Delta it is over towers in the 30-storey range. Who knew that the city’s vision for North Delta was a community of ocean view homes?
In North Delta we have been with little success so far questioning how many 30-storey condominiums we need along the already congested Scott Road corridor from 96th Avenue to 72nd Avenue. The latest development to be approved is a 29-storey tower at Scott and 93A. The current proposal before city council is for two additional 32-storey towers along with 10-storey, nine-story and five-storey mid-rises to be built beside the existing 37-storey Delta Rise on the Delta Shoppers Mall site at 80th Avenue and Scott. The project includes over 1,500 underground parking stalls.
Even with the new Scott Road RapidBus moving 30,000 passengers each weekday along the busiest bus corridor south of the Fraser, North Delta cannot accommodate the tens and tens of thousands of commuters driving through our community to access Highways 99, 17, 91 and the Alex Fraser Bridge. Traffic gridlock is now a fact of life in North Delta. And it appears it will get even worse.
Nevertheless, it seems that the mayor and the majority of city council have decided that, regardless of objections from residents, regardless of traffic congestion and regardless of the lack of infrastructure to support them, these high density projects will go ahead as proposed.
Richard Hoover
