All they want is to work with the developer to prevent something that ruins their neighbourhood.
That's what opponents of the proposed final build-out of the Marina Garden Estates have to say about the application, which heads to a public hearing next week
In an interview last week with the Optimist, Stan Lawson, Peter Mould and Nigel Anderson had plenty to say about what's wrong with the latest scheme put forward by Captain's Cove Marina and Polygon Homes, a plan that would see 674 housing units constructed on a remaining undeveloped parcel in the Ladner neighbourhood.
Having already done several revisions, the applicant's latest proposal would see the construction of mostly townhouses, but also 94 condos in a four-storey structure.
Last Monday Delta council approved sending the plan to a public hearing on June 25, a move that didn't please Marina Gardens residents opposed to the proposal, who held their own public meeting on Monday at Neilson Grove Elementary.
"There's been no compromise by Polygon. We're not saying no development, we just want to see this improved, that's all," said Mould.
Located off Ferry Road, the first phases of Marina Gardens were completed over two decades ago. Over the years several residential phases and a golf course were added.
The 87-hectare (217acre) site had originally been approved for 1,426 homes as well as the golf course, a 220-room hotel, a marina, a neighbourhood pub and limited commercial uses. To date, 619 homes have been constructed, including detached single-family and duplexes, while the hotel has been dropped entirely.
Council was told the proposal exceeds the maximum permitted dwelling units for the final phase by 65, however, the proposal has 133 units less than the maximum permitted for the entire Marina Gardens project.
Mould scoffs at that claim, noting most of the townhomes would be very narrow with impractical tandem parking, creating too much density as well as parking problems. Those homes would also be totally out of character with the rest of the neighbourhood, he said.
The former Century Group executive said the developer had originally been approved for 100 waterlot homes, but that would never be allowed to proceed today. Also, he said, too many larger houses were built in the earlier phases, so the developer is now hoping to transfer the unused density onto the remaining smaller parcel, which shouldn't be allowed.
"They built bigger houses for more money, they creamed it. Now what they're doing is double-dipping by transferring density," he said. "What we're saying is the mix is terrible."
Mould noted the feedback from a vast majority of residents who answered a questionnaire at the applicant's public information meeting chose a development option that had a better mix, including single-family housing, but that feedback was ignored.
Saying the proposal is twice the density of the proposed Southlands plan, Mould said the restrictive covenant had set out for a more retirement-oriented development.
Anderson agreed, saying the increase in density would create a huge windfall for the developer at the community's expense.
Anderson, who said they bought into the neighbourhood with the understanding it would be built in a certain form, noted the new proposal is essentially row housing that is being rushed through.
He said stacked town-homes had been planned for the Chesapeake Landing and Woodward Landing neighbourhoods. In addition to being a less desirable form of housing for buyers, it wouldn't have fit with the form and character of the rest of the neighbourhood, so those townhomes were changed to a desirable side-by-side, duplex-style form.
"It depends on their definition of townhouses. If it's like Chesapeake Landing and Woodward, we'd support it, that's exactly what fits with the rest of the neighbourhood," Anderson said.
Lawson listed other concerns, including a parks "dedication" at Deas and Green sloughs which are, in fact, the handing over of unusable marsh to Delta.
