Proposed 176th St Development to go to Council

On Thursday January 7, 2010 we received a telephone call from the City of Surrey Planning Department, indicating that a corporate report is being sent to City Council on Monday, January 11, 2010 indicating that the Proposed Development at Hwy 1 and 176th can now be considered for Third Reading. In effect what has transpired, unannounced to us as a community, is that the developer is prepared to go before City Council with a revised plan. Although the developer met with the FHCA Executive and made some changes, MUCH MORE needs to be done. Here are the key issues that are still of concern:

Density Too High
While the developer reduced the number of households from 841 to 698, this is still unjustifiably high density. When the community was consulted in an Open House in June 2008, a total of 518 units were shown – 698 units are 35% more!

There is great concern about the impact of such density on existing infrastructure, including the school system. Fraser Heights Secondary School is well in excess of its capacity, and this development will inordinately impact on the present complex.
Additional concerns about density include the lack of recreational facilities and park land to support such an increase in population. While Tynehead Regional Park has been offered for this area, users must cross two busy highways to access it, making it inaccessible for children and dangerous for adults.

Road Access / Traffic
This development is going to seriously impact our community, and the promised traffic study has still not been presented to us.

Look and feel of the development – integration into the community
The community has great concern about two aspects of the look and feel of the development: 1) the absence of control over the drawings regarding style, character and building quality, and 2) the lack of green space due to building density.

Commercial Site
The main concern here is the economic viability of such a large commercial component in a small community.

Process
The community requested an Open House so that all residents could see the impact of the proposal. This is particularly important as this will be the first location in Surrey that is being proposed for 6-storey wood structures.

Please understand that if you are still concerned regarding any of the above items, you must act this weekend in one of the following ways:

• Call each member of City Council (refer to list of Mayor & Councillors below) and express your concerns with any of the issues above. If they are unavailable, please leave a voice mail message with your concerns and your telephone number to allow them to return your call.
• Email each member of City Council (refer to email addresses of Mayor & Councillors below) and express your concerns and issues in writing. You can use a variation of what is written above, but it is best to express your concerns in your own words.

To further show your support, attend the City Council meeting on Monday, January 11, 2010, 7:00pm at City Hall. Hopefully, along with your telephone calls, emails and attendance, this will indicate to Council that we desire further public consultation.