Editor:
A letter to the editor in the Jan. 14th edition from DC Shaw states that “[t]he residents of Tsawwassen do not want the landscape of our beautiful Tsawwassen turned into a concrete jungle” and further suggests that we “[k]eep to three or four buildings maximum three stories” with respect to the anticipated proposals for the redevelopment of Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall.
I do not recall giving a proxy to Shaw to speak on my behalf. Having said this, I do believe that residents of Tsawwassen are fairly unanimous in their feelings that we need to avoid a Central Surrey or Brentwood-style “concrete jungle” building scenario with relatively massive concrete and glass structures having limited visual appeal and poor coordination with commuter and other infrastructure. Additionally, suggesting that we should limit redevelopment to a few three-storey buildings is laughably unrealistic.
Tsawwassen does need a rethinking of its housing strategy.
Our limited supply of housing is tailored to single-family homes on large pieces of land generally occupied by families of three to five people. Options for first-time homebuyers, buyers not wanting the “burden” of land ownership and maintenance, and empty nesters looking to downsize are extremely limited; this needs to be addressed. A higher density town centre can provide these options.
While it is likely outside of Delta council’s purview, it would be beneficial to the community if an overarching plan for the entire town centre area was considered. A cohesive, long-term redevelopment approach for the four commercial corners of 12th Avenue and 56 Street including future commercial space, city amenities including our library, and residential options similar to those developed for “master planned” communities could ensure we don’t end up with a hodge podge of development.
I think now is the time for this vision to be determined.
Mark Schoeffel
