staff reporter
A proposal to put 91 more homes in east Maple Ridge has moved forward a step, with council deciding to allow online input only into the creation of a conservation area that would protect two fish-bearing streams.
With that decision, it will be late April before the application returns to council to resume the rezoning process for property at 12420 – 269th St.
Creus Engineering, on behalf of a numbered company (640724 B.C. Ltd.), wants to rezone the site to allow the new acreages, which will have septic fields for sewage treatment, along with Metro Vancouver water.
The proposal has been revised since it was first before council last year, when 162 lots were proposed for development.
That will allow a conservation area of 42 acres to protect the main stems of Cooper and McFadden creeks, both of which contain fish. Five other tributaries to McFadden Creek are also on the property.
Maple Ridge Mayor Ernie Daykin said the setbacks around the streams will be 30 metres on each side of the banks.
Stormwater management will minimize runoff into streams and enhance ground infiltration, where it can naturally recharge streams.
“There’s an expectation in the community that one of the things that people value about Maple Ridge is its rural flavour and its respect for the environment,” Daykin said.
While some call the development suburban sprawl, Daykin said people are looking for a range of housing, from condos to acreage lots, adding that five-acre lot developments could be too pricey.
“There’s a demand for all of that.”
The development will be located next to existing acreages and will be accessed by extending 269th and 271st streets northward.
According to staff, an information meeting last week drew about 40 people, with some concerned about too much traffic on Rothsay Street.
However, a traffic study said the road network had enough capacity.
The proposed development also sits atop the Blue Mountain aquifer and is adjacent to properties that rely on well water.
However, an impact assessment says the development will have minimal impact on the groundwater, because of the type of aquifer and because Metro Vancouver water will be used, sparing any use of well water.
The site also lies within what could become Maple Ridge’s wildfire development permit area, requiring use of fire-retarding and construction practices.
However, that permit area has yet to come into effect, although there are some fire-proofing steps that have to be followed.