Fleetwood business group concerned SkyTrain extension could change ‘village feel’
Posted April 20, 2019 7:33 am.
Last Updated April 20, 2019 7:34 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – While many are hopeful about the SkyTrain extension down the Fraser Highway and what it means for local transit, some communities along the route have concerns. It’s a project that promises to bring massive change to the the Fraser Highway corridor, and a business group in Fleetwood is concerned about the neighbourhood’s character changing drastically.
Fleetwood is Kitsilano without the water – a mainly residential neighbourhood with many detached houses and low rise buildings. That’s how Dean Barbour with the Fleetwood Business Improvement Association characterizes that part of Surrey, and he’s concerned this project could change what he calls a “village feel.”
“SkyTrains don’t build communities, they move people,” he says. “You stick a station on 152, you stick a station on 160th, the SkyTrain will basically be going by 25 feet from bedroom windows.”
Barbour wonders how that part of town will cope with a big population spike, pointing out local schools are already at capacity. He says the supporting infrastructure isn’t in place to handle the sort of density that will follow the construction of this line.
“If we’re starting to push development quickly – and quickly in the developing world is five, six, seven, eight years. If we’re not budgeting and planning for those other areas to be taken care, then we’re going to run into those same problems everyone is complaining about now – lack of infrastructure.”
He’s also concerned about the lack of detailed information around planning.
“If you’re going to add density, you need to ensure that your land use plan is understood by the developers, and we need to understand what is the town centre, and what is the density, storeys, what does that look like in the town centre?”
As for the issue of crime at SkyTrain stations, Barbour says his group isn’t focusing on that aspect of this but says he’s heard concerns from seniors groups. He’s worried the area won’t be able to handle thousands of new people living there, highlighting the fact local schools are already using portables due to the pace of growth.
