The Editor:
Re: "Back to drawing board for Woodland Park plan", April 30.
The 23-acre Woodland Park neighbourhood, in west Port Moody, has 19 low-rise buildings providing 200 rental townhouses to about 450 residents. The Official Community Plan (OCP) envisions this property continuing as multi-family with up to three times the number of units up to six storeys.
The proponent wants the OCP changed to allow more than 2,300 units occupied by more than 5,000 residents. The developer is asking for 10 times the OCP. This development alone would increase the population of the city of Port Moody by about 15%. The proposal does not provide more employment space, retail shopping or recreational facilities for this new population.
At a Special Council Meeting on April 21, 2020, most councillors criticized the proposal strongly for many good reasons. This massive redevelopment is transit-oriented without the rapid transit connection. The primary access at the Clarke Road.-Cecile Drive intersection is already inadequate, and before this development, sees 1,000 or more trips per peak hour through it.
This proposal is far out of scale with the surrounding community and transportation infrastructure. The proponent has to go back to the drawing board for a concept within the current OCP.
Derek Wilson, Port Moody
