Editor, The News:
Re: Too much green won’t pay for road (The News, April 8).
The proposed North Lougheed Connector has been promoted as a means to take traffic off Old Dewdney Trunk Road to help the farming community.
However, the options put forward by AECOM and the majority of councils’ reaction to them seems to be more about increasing commercial/industrial development on the north side of Lougheed.
When the currently designated commercial strip along Lougheed was enlarged several years ago, the Pitt Polder Preservation Society was assured by the council of the time that it would stay that size. Several of the members of today’s council were among those who gave those assurances.
The amount of land shown as retail-commercial in the three options presented by AECOM is already available in the currently designated commercial strip along the highway. As for mixed employment lands, there is still a largely undeveloped industrial park adjacent to the airport.
The Agricultural Land Commission, in conditionally approving the proposed North Lougheed Connector, saw the dangers of continual encroachment into the Agricultural Land Reserve. That is why it insisted covenants requiring the land to remain agricultural be placed on the lots adjacent to the proposed North Lougheed Connector.
The ALC’s mandate is to protect agricultural land and Pitt Meadows council should respect the ALC’s decision.
If you are concerned about protecting farmland, we urge you to come to the open house (Pitt Meadows Family Recreation Centre), on April 18 and urge council to choose the fourth option: leave it as is.
Peter Jongbloed
Pitt Polder Preservation Society