The company behind a plan to develop property adjacent to Burns Bog is offering the municipality some land in exchange for being allowed to build up to 1,800 homes.
MK Delta Lands president Joanne Barnett made a presentation to Delta council Monday to provide an update on her company's development plans, saying it had to take another look at the proposal following the recent international Ramsar designation for the bog.
"The additional time has given us opportunity to consider how the MK Delta Lands Group parcel can serve as a catalyst for positive gains in North Delta and beyond," Barnett said.
The site to be developed is a rectangular piece located along the east side of Highway 91 immediately south of 72nd Avenue. It's located next to the bog's ecological conversancy area, but outside the protected zone.
The company owns about 200 hectares (500 acres), but the development would be contained within a 35hectare (89-acre) parcel.
MK Delta Lands last year applied for the rezoning, but didn't specify the type of development that would be constructed, electing to gather feedback through community consultations.
According to the company, the majority of residents at workshops "felt that if there is going to be development, they are interested in a range of housing, retail, and infrastructure improvements for the area."
At the council meeting this week, Barnett revealed MK Delta Lands is looking at a couple of different mixed-use development options. In either case, the total number of housing units would be in the 1,400 to 1,800 range, primarily condos or townhomes. The commercial component would have anywhere from 200,000 to 450,000 square feet.
As part of a "community amenity" package, the company is offering to give Delta 80 hectares (199 acres) of on the west side of the highway. A number of road improvements would also be provided.
In 2004, four levels of government - federal, provincial, regional and municipal - purchased about 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of the bog for $73 million.
Five times the size of Stanley Park, it was designated as the Burns Bog Ecological Reserve, a protected area.
However, 500 acres owned by MK Delta Lands Group were not included in the purchase. The site was also not part of the recent Ramsar designation.
The Burns Bog Conservation Society has made its opposition to any development at the site clear, gathering a petition against it. The society cites, among other things, the loss of habitat for rare and endangered animals as well as traffic and noise issues for surrounding neighbour-hoods.
"If you think there is a problem with traffic in the mornings now, just think what it will be like if MK Delta Lands Group Inc. gets their way and puts houses and condos on this bog land," society president Eliza Olson said in a letter to residents.
MK Delta Lands will hold another open house on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at the North Delta Secondary gymnasium, from 6 to 9 p.m.
For more information, visit the company's website at mkdeltalandsgroup.com.
