Dear Editor,
As long-time residents of Brookswood, we have been watching with angst the development planning process of Brookswood/Griffith [Brookswood redo an uphill battle, Jan. 21, Langley Advance].
We have been involved and engaged from the design workshops, right through all of the open houses including the latest one at Fernridge hall.
A few things have become clear.
Each successive Draft Land Use Plan has seen increased density.
There is no concrete plan to preserve the forested areas within the affected neighbourhoods. Indeed, clear-cuts have already begun. Drive down 200th Street south of 32nd Avenue and you will see that hundreds of mature coniferous trees already lay on the ground.
The concerns of existing residents wishing to remain living in these areas are not being listened to and acted upon.
Mayor Jack Froese generously states, “People who live in their homes aren’t going to be pushed out.â€
It appears that Jack still chooses to pretend to be unaware of the facts. The people who want to remain here want to do so due to the character of the neighbourhoods as they currently exist.
As the mass falling of mature stands escalates, those people will be pushed out.
If the destruction is allowed to proceed as planned, the mayor’s legacy and that of his council will be assured. Do they want to be remembered as the group that decided to forever alter the look and feel of one of the most unique residential areas in the Lower Mainland?
The existing residents of Brookswood/Griffith who plan and wish to continue living here deserve a voice we currently don’t have.
Here’s a word of advice for any future development plans. Start with primary goal that you can actually honour.
For Brookswood/Griffith it was “Preserve Existing Character.†Kind of a farce, don’t you think?
Brian Cameron, Langley