Village people ask why at MCA
Email
Print
Letter to Editor
Share
Updated: July 15, 2009 3:56 PM
Residents turned out in force Monday night to protest a proposed housing development they say will bring a deluge of potential traffic and flooding problems to Clayburn Village.
More than 150 residents attended the public hearing in Matsqui Centennial Auditorium (MCA) to tell council why they believe the proposal for 59 townhouses at 4325 Old Clayburn Rd. should be turned down.
Staff said at the start of the meeting that council had received 445 items of correspondence – 233 in favour of the development and 212 opposed.
However, there was little doubt what residents who attended the meeting thought of the development, with enthusiastic applause greeting anyone who spoke against it.
The application by Solterra Sunspring Ltd. was first turned down by council in April 2008. It is a modified version of the plan now being considered by council.
Approximately 20 residents stood up and spoke against the plan for the hill that sits above Clayburn Village, complaining that the development would overpopulate the area and, at 12 units per acre, create a density of development three times greater than anything else in the area.
Others said Clayburn Road would struggle to handle an increase in traffic, despite the calming measures through the village being proposed by the developer.
Clayburn Road resident Sonya Hossmann said the hill on which the development is proposed has springs running through it, and has the potential to slide in the future should houses be built there.
Not just that, but Hossmann said it was wrong for council to consider the application before the relevant storm water and traffic studies have been completed.
“How can council consider one application in isolation?” she asked.
Shearwater Drive resident Steve Arnold gave a PowerPoint presentation on behalf of local residents.
He said the project would not only impact Clayburn Road and Old Clayburn Road, but also Shearwater, Goodchild Street and Corbett Place.
Abbotsford developer Peter Warkentin said he backed the proposal, despite it coming from a business competitor.
“I looked at the project and saw one of the highest-quality townhouse projects I have ever seen,” he said.
A number of industry professionals involved in the project also gave it their backing, saying the developer had done much to alleviate the concerns of residents raised in 2008.
That included introducing traffic calming measures in Clayburn Village, and redirecting runoff so it does not flow into Clayburn Creek. They also said studies have been conducted which conclude that the proposed development site is stable.
Council decided to defer its discussion and decision. That is now expected to occur at council’s next meeting on July 27 at MCA.
v2
