LETTER: Maple Ridge neighbourhood needs better municipal planning

Dear Editor,

Re: Review of land use policies for Port Haney Area, and John E. Mckenzie letter

I agree with John E. Mckenzie’s June 3 letter to the editor. I live in Port Haney, which makes me a stakeholder.

This feedback mostly concerns what is not included, so far, in the land use policies for the Port Haney area.

The land most of Port Haney is located on is clay. What I want to know is how is the City of Maple Ridge going to protect apartment buildings that are going to be built on unstable clay from landslides?

How to make the new buildings in Port Haney better equipped to handle climate change. The new apartment buildings, town houses, fourplexes, triplexes, and duplexes can be better prepared to deal with climate change by planting trees that absorb the most carbon dioxide such as yellow popular, silver maple, oak, horse chestnut, red mulberry, London plane, dogwood, blue spruce, Douglas fir, and pines. For information about the said trees Google about planting trees that store carbon.

According to the Town Centre Area Plan, it is going to contain some green space. So please plant the above-mentioned trees, which can also be planted in Maple Ridge’s parks.

The new apartment buildings, and other buildings that are going to be built in Port Haney need to have numerous places where people can charge electric vehicles, which was not mentioned in Port Haney Land Use Policy Review Engagement Process. Also, public electric charging stations need to be built in Port Haney like the public electric charging stations that were built in front of Maple Ridge City Hall.

Also, what was missing from the Port Haney Land Use Policy Review Engagement Process that I read was nothing was mentioned about making the new buildings earthquake proof or earthquake resistant. However, Maple Ridge does have a bylaw regarding emergency planning and management.

The new apartments and other buildings that are going to be built in Port Haney need to be accessible for disabled people, which is in accordance with section 8 (a) and 8 (b) of the BC Human Rights Code.

Ten per cent of the new apartment buildings, townhouses etc, in Port Haney need to be listed as low income (“affordable” is not low income).

The new apartment buildings, townhouses, etc. that are going to be built in Port Haney must have underground parking, as Port Haney already has a parking problem.

Linda Meyer, Maple Ridge

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• READ MORE: LETTER: Please ensure housing for all

• READ MORE: Apartment in the works for Haney

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