Editor:
The development of the Southlands has had only a slight impact on the rest of Tsawwassen, other than an increased traffic density along 56th Street. The same is far from true for the proposed redevelopment of Tsawwassen town centre.
The transportation study that accompanied the Southlands proposal predicted periodic gridlock along 56th Street, and that was with no thought of densification of the town centre. In this regard, Tsawwassen is unique in Metro Vancouver in that the only access to the town centre is along 52nd and 56th streets. The 52nd Street access is not usable by large volumes of traffic, leaving 56th Street as the only practical access; for this reason, Tsawwassen must be considered a special case.
While the development of the Southlands has progressed, piecemeal developments all over Tsawwassen have been approved, each one contributing to the traffic congestion on 56th Street. Today’s traffic is significantly denser than it was when the Southlands development was approved.
Century Group is proposing to replace the light and airy town centre with a maze of tall buildings. The community will face 10 years or more of the eviction of small businesses, loss of already saturated parking space, demolition of perfectly functional buildings, massive excavation and earthworks, noise, mud, dust, construction traffic, oil spills, laydown areas for construction materials, traffic jams, danger to pedestrians and general disruption of life.
A project of this magnitude and community impact surely demands a binding referendum requiring a two-thirds (or similar) majority of a two-thirds (or similar) quorum of the South Delta electorate in favour if the project is to go ahead. That way the project will have the unequivocal support of the community instead of the bitter vituperation that characterized the long-drawn-out struggle over the Southlands development.
Tom Morrison
