Dear Editor
The city has been out in full force looking for public opinion on the OCP looking ahead to 2041. As a resident of New Westminster, a parent of teenagers attending high school in New Westminster and a community member who enjoys and utilizes city services, I have taken the time to read all the materials and attend a public forum.
I am a resident of the Moody Park area, and I have some concerns with the process. All the documentation that is provided, maps etc. show the existing OCP when comparing density. This of course is not an accurate reflection of the density in the area currently. Over the years, exception after exception has been made to the OCP. For example, there is an existing lowrise apartment building on Hamilton Street and Nanaimo Street between 10th Street and 12th Street. These buildings have been there since the 1970s? And yet they are not reflected on the comparison map provided.
My thought is that Scenario 1 should accurately reflect the neighbourhood as it is right now. You would see that the city has already densified our neighbourhood. Show us where legal suites are located and where the city has allowed family homes to be turned into six-suite units. Show us an accurate reflection of the city as it is today, not as it was planned 20 years ago. It is unfortunate that some changes to the plan were made with poor judgment and lack of conceptual planning.
These changes have already changed the shape and scope of the neighbourhood and broken away from any “vision” that was planned. The changes were made. Let’s not pretend they weren’t.
Kathryn Matts, New Westminster
