Dear Editor,
We received a letter from the Coutler Berry developer extolling the virtues of the building in our historic village of Fort Langley.
It is surprising, as we live a fair distance from Fort Langley.
The letter must have gone in the mail to a great many people in the Township who have no idea of what has gone on over the years regarding the historic town. The letter does not mention that the proposed building is far too large for the “historic†village, as it is higher than the four-storey buildings on Bedford Landing, four times higher than the palisades of the fort itself, and higher than Fort Langley Community Hall.
Not only that, it is the length of two community halls side by side, plus four metres.
It is also in the heritage covenanted area under the Official Community Plan with Heritage Guidelines that took years to produce, and which the building violates. The underground parking sounds adequate, but actually is not enough to help the parking situation on the streets.
The letter also does not mention the 250,000-plus visitors per year who come to this “Birthplace of B.C.†on the banks of the Fraser River to experience a very special time away from the atmosphere of urban development.
The population of Langley should realize that those tourists help pay for all our services, as it is B.C’s largest economic contributor.
In the letter, the writer says that Justice Groves was wrong when he decided against the plan for the Coulter Berry building. Is that a fair or correct criticism of a Supreme Court Judge?
We think all developers must obey the OCPs’ guidelines and bylaws as ordered by the municipality.
Four developers in Fort Langley have followed the Guidelines and their buildings are underway.
The Coulter Berry is a good, attractive building which would look fine in most places, but it is just too massive for Fort Langley.
If this developer had obeyed the two-storey requirements, we would be enjoying his building as we write.
Bays Blackhall, Langley