Sending to the Agricultural Land Commission a plan to withdraw most of the Albion flats from the reserve is being done to win votes during November’s local elections, says a councillor opposed to the vote.
So none of the five Maple Ridge councillors who voted to send the plan for ALC’s comment should be returned, says, says Coun. Craig Speirs, who plans to seek the federal NDP nomination in Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission and might not be running for council again.
“To keep them happy, they needed to float this option … knowing full well that there’s not a chance it’s going to happen,” he said Tuesday.
On Monday, council approved Scenario 2, one of four concepts for the Albion flats, that calls for the most intensive development of land on both sides of 105th Avenue.
The Agricultural Land Commission has said several times that it won’t consider removal of land from the reserve on the west side of 105th Avenue, Speirs pointed out.
“And what did they go for, they went for the most aggressive development scenario,” knowing the commission will refuse it. “So they can use the ALC as their whipping boy, as they troll for votes.”
Speirs pointed out the proposal calls for the preservation of only 1.25 acres of agricultural land.
“I think it’s the worst kind of politics.”
“Leaving that 1.25 acres for agriculture I think is an absolute travesty and not one of them should be returned in November.”
“These people that I’m working with know full well that there’s not a chance that scenario will go forward or be approved. There’s not a chance.”
Speirs still likes his colleagues personally.
“Politically, they’re are just going in the wrong direction and I think they are so yesterday and so not for the future. Everything they are doing is oriented around the automobile, when we know that is a dead end.”
All the information shows that retail development of that scope will hurt the downtown and detract from it becoming a walking community, so that people have to drive, Speirs added.
Couns. Judy Dueck, Al Hogarth, Mike Morden, Cheryl Ashlie and Mayor Ernie Daykin favoured sending a modified version of Scenario 2 for comment.
Speirs and Coun. Linda King voted against.
Ashlie brought forward the motion, but disagreed with Speirs, saying it doesn’t serve any purpose “to bring in that kind of discussion.”
She said council tried to create a scenario that reflected everything it heard from the public. Council is not looking for an excuse to fail so members can say they tried and failed, she added.
Ashlie felt that council would make determinations based on the consultant’s concepts. “I never thought we were expected to forward all four scenarios to the ALC.”
Scenario 2 captured the ideas that were collectively asked for, she explained.
One concept involved mostly public dollars and would have soaked up the parks and recreation budget for the next 15 years. “That’s not deliverable,” Ashlie said.
She’s also pretty sure that private investors aren’t interested in another of the four scenarios.
“What is deliverable?”
“I resent somebody using a politicking statement to cause that kind of emotion,” when people at the council table are trying to do the best for the community, she said.
Ashlie said if the commission rejects Scenario 2, it would then be up to council and the land owners to discuss how to mitigate land loss on the west side of 105th Avenue to satisfy the land commission.
If that doesn’t work, council could look at options that have been prepared for the east side of 105th, she added.