Editor:
I am disappointed to hear the proposed development at 47A Avenue and 48B Street has been changed from apartments to townhouses.
I live in this area and one of the many things I like about living near Ladner Village is the variety of housing - apartments, single-family homes, and two-and three-storey townhouses, with a mix of both rental and owned homes. However, there seems to be a shortage of condo/strata developments where the individual units are onelevel apartments. I think the original proposal met many objectives that should be in the
Official Community Plan, such as providing homes people can own, not just rent, that are near public transit, and near many local businesses and services.
Also, people with mobility problems often need one-level homes.
Our Official Community Plan should encourage less dependence on personal vehicles, locate homes within walking distance of amenities, provide housing for less-mobile persons and allow residents to age in place.
The variances required for the original five-storey apartment building might have provided an opportunity for negotiation among the developer, the planning
department and the community in the areas of designing common areas, apartments to accommodate persons in wheelchairs, providing charging stations for electric vehicles, providing a variety in apartment sizes and configurations, using energy-efficient cooling and heating systems, landscaping that could enhance the whole neighbourhood, etc.
Now, instead of these opportunities, we may have a development in a prime area of Ladner that will accommodate only 23 families, instead of 47, and which by its basic design will deny many individuals and families the opportunity of living in the area.
Eileen Minogue
