Editor's note:
Mike Schneider has regularly written about the need for more housing choices in South Delta for the past 15 years, including his most recent column on the 8A townhouse proposal and the need for greater housing diversity in Tsawwassen. It should be noted that Schneider is one of seven homeowners who have recently listed their properties for sale in a potential land assembly on 56th Street in Tsawwassen. We don’t believe that disqualifies him from commenting on this issue or any others, but wanted to make his personal situation completely transparent for readers.
***
The housing crisis, especially in Metro Vancouver, may have given cause for the public to more carefully reflect on housing development applications in their communities.
I attended Monday’s public hearing on the Maple Leaf Homes application to build 37 townhomes across the street from South Delta Secondary on 8A Avenue.
Council chambers were full and overflow chairs were set up in the foyer of city hall.
As per usual, the issue of development stirs very real emotion on both sides of the ledger but I just got the sense that opposition to these perceived threats to the status quo may be waning just a little.
The no side built its case on traffic congestion in and around two school zones, the development would not fit with surrounding single-family homes and that density does not generally equate with affordability, whereas the yes side argued that housing form choice and general affordability were the issues.
Several speakers on the yes side also argued the site was well chosen and that its proximity to Winskill Park and the town centre would afford residents easy access to schools, recreational space, stores and services. If a developer is able to assemble properties in these situations, it just makes sense for builder and buyer. Some no development folks suggested the site was random and some worried that density rezoning applications would start popping up everywhere in Tsawwassen.
This particular development application has been in the works for over two years. Not Southlands or Tsawwassen Springs length, but long enough. The application process is intense and can often hit several roadblocks along the way. Maple Leaf has adapted to input from expert and diligent Delta staff who have clearly advised mayor and council appropriately for them to make a decision to pass third reading.
We often forget the Official Community Plan has to be a “living document” to keep our communities vibrant and sustainable. Our governors have to recognize community need not only in the present, but more importantly, in the future.
Council’s decision to pass third reading was certainly not an easy one but I must say that rookie councillors Alicia Guichon and Dylan Krueger gave the most eloquent and thought provoking expressions of support for the project. This was no accident. They are engaged with the youth in our community (those that are still here or want to come back), and they represent the future of Delta.
Infill density projects are alive and well in Ladner and North Delta, but Tsawwassen has a lot of catching up to do. With 11 townhomes on the market locally in sunny town and two of them north of $1 million, the need for stock in the mid-range housing sector is clear.
A couple of no side speakers indicated that buying a townhome was a bad choice, insinuating that land footprint was the way to go to gain on your investment. These types of statements verge on discrimination. Every person or family deserves the opportunity to purchase any type of home they choose.
Unfortunately, there is not much to choose from in Tsawwassen and the granting of third reading to the Maple Leaf application is a promising indicator that maybe youth can have the chance to revitalize an aging community.
Mike Schneider is founder of Project Pickle and likes to write about growing, cooking and eating food. He is a Jamie Oliver Food Revolution ambassador.
