Aldergrove’s downtown core is in need of an extreme makeover soon, if it plans to ever become a vibrant community, warned Township Councillor Bob Long at Monday’s afternoon council meeting.

“It doesn’t just need a heart transplant, it needs a pacemaker to replace the heart that was ripped out of this town 15 years ago,” said Long. He is not only an Aldergrove resident, but an owner of a restaurant called Bob’s Bar and Grill.

“I’m not trying to be disrespectful but [the Aldergrove Core Plan] is a last chance for Aldergrove, so how do we roll this out?” he asked of the Aldergrove Core Planning team’s ideas that were presented to council for the first time on Monday.

Council, four of whom are residents of the Aldergrove area, was thrilled and eager to hear how plans are coming. The Aldergrove team is made up of consultants and citizen volunteers. The team was in front of council asking to bring their proposals to a public open house on Oct. 29.

The Township retained consulting team HB Lanarc Consultants to conduct urban design and planing work for downtown Aldergrove. They are working closely with Township staff and volunteers made up of residents and business owners.

Joaquin Karakas, consultant with HB Lanarc, spoke to council on Monday, wanting the open house so the public can look at the two concept ideas amd provide feedback.

“The focus is on pedestrian-friendly shopping areas, a greener downtown, with a long-term urban vision that is innovative and bold but grounded in practicality,” said Karakas. “The treatment of Fraser Highway is key to the community planning,” he said.”

Both concepts recognize Fraser Highway as a major transportation corridor but they differ in that one concept wants to focus the core off Fraser Highway, while the other wants to keep it as the ‘main street.’

“This plan turns scary Bertrand Creek to an eye-catching part of the community and gives a heart transplant to the [Aldergrove Mall] shopping centre,” said Councillor Jordan Bateman.There are empty store fronts in the mall. Some buildings are owned by absentee landlords, and the core has had its fair share of problem youth, prolific offenders and proliferation of break-ins.

After outrage from business owners, a core enforcement team was brought in to target the thefts. Break-ins are down significantly since 2007, said Langley RCMP on Monday.

Option A proposes four-storey apartments and townhouses with four 16-storey towers located along Bertrand Creek and primarily within the Aldergrove Mall site.

“There is a desire by many of us to make it a safe place,” said Long.

Concept A proposes to remove on-street parking on Fraser Highway and create new pedestrian-oriented uses and activities off Fraser Highway.

Concept B proposes new pedestrian crossings through the downtown. Both concepts propose residential development at Bertrand Creek. Concept A proposes new retail streets internal to the mall site, with mixed residential.

Karakas said the two concepts are only ideas, and it is likely a ‘hybrid’ concept will take the best features from each option. Councillor Mel Kositsky asked that the current upgrades being made to sewer and water in Aldergrove be shown.

Council approved an open house and will send the report to each resident. It also plans to include the proposal on its website. A location for the open house hasn’t been determined yet, but it will be in the downtown core.