Editor: While I sympathize with Brian Johnson’s plight of living in Willoughby and the poor development practices he must endure (The Times, June 7), telling Township’s planners to go to Brookswood is like 1984’s Winston saying, “Do it to Julia!” (Room 101).
In 2002, LEPS and the Township co-hosted an open house where we drew our vision what was to be built there. The first development advertised itself as “country living;” now the back townhouses look over Costco’s parking lot. When a public hearing was held for Jeffries Brook, I came before council, telling them that this grid pattern, remove-all-the-trees, leave-no-natural-trails-for-wildlife would set a precedent for future development.
In fact, I made countless delegations to have nature and development work in harmony, wrote countless letters, while at the same time, other like-minded people, included those downhill in Milner and mouse-infested Langley Meadows home owners met under the name Langley Conservation Network. It was all about Willoughby and the wildlife-killing Routley.
Planning the way we have seen it is agreed to by council because it is pieced together by the administration and department directors. I believe that is a lobbying factor pushed on council members, thus they must be loyal to their benefactors, not those of us who pay taxes and actually live here.
I have witnessed 415 out of 416 trees cut down during nesting season, with cavity dwellers circling the felled trees, looking for their nests and soon-to-be fledglings. I have gone to council to protest the massive removal of trees on 60 acres east of 208 Street, only to have the developer bring his arbourist to claim the cedars were not healthy. In Brookswood, I am surrounded by healthy cedars, but advertisements for recent open houses to review Official Community Plans were placed in the papers the day of the Brookswood event. Does that tell you anything?
I’ll follow Mr. Johnson’s lead and say, “Do it to Aldergrove.”
Cathleen Vecchiato,
Langley