Without comment, Township council has approved a development which opponents say will bring Willoughby-style density to Murrayville.
On Nov. 7, council adopted a bylaw that rezones eight acres on the northeast corner of 48 Avenue and 228 Street for a phased development of 310 units, 200 of which are for seniors.
Sandhill Developments proposes to build a mix of housing, such as duplexes, townhouses, stacked townhouses, and apartments that allow seniors to “age in place.”
The application required an amendment to the Murrayville Community Plan to extend the urban boundary and designate the site institutional.
Previously zoned for small farm country estates, the land is not in the Agricultural Land Reserve, although there is property in the ALR to the north.
Langley Christian Elementary lies to the east, a church to the west, and four country estate lots to the south.
At council’s third reading of the bylaws in July, Councillor Kim Richter remarked that the development “is just way too dense for that area.”
“We are talking about buffering agriculture but I don’t see how 1,000 people on eight acres is buffering agriculture. This is Willoughby-type density on the outskirts of Murrayville, and it’s not appropriate,” she said.
Before the final vote, Richter said the development “is far to dense for Murrayville and it’s pushing the boundary (of Murrayville) too far.”
The approvals passed with only Richter and Mayor Rick Green voting against the development.