Dear Editor,
The writer of the letter [Some styles not worth preserving, Jan. 9, Langley Advance] is quite right. However, she misses the whole point of the dispute regarding the development of Fort Langley.
A TOL council appointed committee and staff, spent a large amount of time and money to hire experts to decide on a good way to improve Fort Langley. They created the OCP and guidelines, and council followed due process to put these in place in order to preserve the village atmosphere for the future families and visitors. No one said “Do not buildâ€, no one said “Do not renovateâ€, no one said “Do not remove decrepit buildingsâ€. A few blocks of the town were designated as a “heritage conservation area†with a two-storey streetscape to promote upgrading and to retain the unique ‘village’ concept.
Now there are four more lovely buildings going up to replace older ones; all four conforming to the OCP and guidelines, and glad to be part of the special heritage conservation designation.
The Coulter Berry Building is the exception and sets a worrying precedent.
I was brought up on Vancouver Island. My family is in Ladysmith and Naniamo. We all love Chemainus! Those towns all have areas with Community Plans and guidelines. The small, unique parts are preserved.
Like those, the Conservation Area in Fort Langley is very limited and should be respected. People moved here to be part of a village and still be near to urban amenities. They are willing to share the historic Fort, the museums, the CN Station, the River, and trails with visitors and tourists because it is the “Birthplace of B.C.†and the history is important to all British Columbians.
Bays Blackhall, Langley