Editor:
South Delta has had the welcome mat spread out for developers for a long time, but the area now risks becoming the proverbial doormat.
Large areas of farmland around Tsawwassen and Ladner are now in the hands of developers and options to buy have been agreed on for other acreage. Our independent MLA, Vicki Huntington, is doing a great job at keeping the community informed about the back-room maneuvering that is happening and who is behind it all.
Our mayor, however, does nothing to combat any of these threats. Quite the opposite; contrary to the wishes of the majority of the community she has consistently sought to appease and accommodate developers.
Sean Hodgins' recent presentation to Delta council to rezone the Southlands farmland into mixed commercial and residential shows the threat from Century Group is mounting.
His quote of the night for me was, "This town needs more people." I've no idea what criteria he's using to justify that statement, but comments like that, when made by a property developer, are embarrassingly and shamefully transparent.
Conveniently, he just so happens to be ready and willing to meet that need by building the houses for them to live in.
One of the characteristics of Tsawwassen that I value is its relatively small size. His proposed 950-unit project would add 2,700 people (11 per cent increase) to Tsawwassen's population. His plan is to build it all onto the west edge of Boundary Bay, thus tripling the population there.
I live in Boundary Bay and I love the quiet and peaceful life it offers. It is a somewhat unique subdivision of Tsawwassen given its outlying location, but its residents have the same right to want to preserve what they value as do the residents of any other neighbourhood.
Recently the residents of the Highlands successfully rallied against Delta council's proposal to redesignate that area with multi-family dwellings. People have a lot invested in their neighbourhoods and those residents obviously wished to keep things the way they are.
Boundary Bay is no different in that respect. The perceived benefits of Century Group's proposal would be totally negated by its impact on the existing community - 20 years of noise, dust and traffic from the construction, the astronomical growth of Boundary Bay (and the resulting loss of quality of life there), the loss of yet more irreplaceable farmland, more traffic congestion, etc.
If we all stand up and make our voices heard this is one battle we can win. Write to the mayor and Delta council, attend meetings, talk to your friends and neighbours.
Do not sit back and expect anyone else to do it for you. You need to get involved.
