Editor:
Re: Ladner Village Renewal Plan
This committee was struck to bring local government, business and community members together in order to brainstorm and plan for a revitalized, renewed and sustainable Ladner Village.
The committee met numerous times, we travelled to other communities and met with planners, we listened to development experts and people who have a vested interest in what happens here in Ladner. We spent hours looking at drawings, discussing viable options and negotiating with each other to come to this end.
One big thing I feel we definitely agreed on was that we all want Ladner Village to be a vibrant and livable place for Ladnerites and other Deltans.
One other thing we agreed on was that, while we want others to visit Ladner, we’re most interested in increasing residences in the Village and in turn providing the retail and other personnel services that make it a great place to live.
It’s a given that the dykes have to be raised. We may as well take the opportunity to beautify our waterfront and to help existing businesses deal with the government easement by getting them off that land. No one can make plans or develop and build on land that has a 30-year lease at best.
We are recommending some height changes and it really is the only way to go. In order to increase our population and our tax base we have to go up. We can no longer take land away from food production to create housing.
The plan that the LVRAC has drawn up is well thought out and will help to create a vibrant and livable village that will ensure sustainability for businesses and residents year round while still accommodating and encouraging the visitors in the summer months.
Pat Cleave
