Re : Downtown New Westminster developing at rapid pace, The Record, April 24.
I'm 50. I grew up and was raised in Saskatoon, lived 12 years in Toronto, 12 years at Long Beach, and now call New Westminster home. I recently attended my first ever council meeting because I love New West, consider it home and want to contribute.
The council meeting regarded the development at 1000 Quayside. My question to city staff and councillors was general and referenced your April article, which I didn't have with me. My question went something like, "City staff had informed council that the number of buildings and units had already reached goals for 2021, but that the mayor or council had told city staff that they wouldn't want to turn down development fees. Isn't this a poor motive for allowing the building of more highrises in downtown New West?"
The response I got from city staff was, and I paraphrase, "No, it wasn't that, it was that we didn't have enough staff to process the applications. We've since hired more staff."
Dumbfounded, I returned to my seat because I didn't have the article with me and felt unable to prod further. Toward the end of the meeting another resident spoke to council and backed me up, but again city staff glossed over our point.
A few days later I got my hands on your April article, in which it says "Staff recently suggested that the city 'pause' applications for high-density developments in the downtown so they can complete some policy work." That policy work could take up to a year.
In the article Bev Grieve, the city's director of development services, is quoted as saying. "Our feeling is we need to finish this work before we consider more development applications."
This is not at all what was communicated to me after my clear, concise question to city staff and council.
At the very least the response I was given for my first ever query to a city council was disingenuous. It tells me the motives behind development decisions seem suspect, and don't take into account the legitimate concerns of citizens like me. My simple, respectful question was treated with contempt.
While development after development goes up, some builders have difficulty selling their units. The city wants DeGelder's planned behemoth at 900 Carnarvon to be "iconic," but there is nothing iconic about the planned building except how it dwarfs all other buildings in the area, even the ones at Plaza 88 - it's the same height but has a much larger footprint. And because of the glut of condo towers, it's to be a rental tower. Will any studies be done on the feasibility of that?
Meanwhile, with all the new units comes higher density, and nowhere downtown is there a pool or library to service the people.
900 Carnarvon would be a good spot for that since it's right on the SkyTrain line.
I'm not sure where to cast my vote this election fearing it'll mean more of this type of "planning" and "consultation."
Mathew 'Renko' Styranka is a New Westminster resident.
