SOME Lynn Valley residents need to realize that the world is organized by the people who show up. There is little point in railing against massive highrises in Lynn Valley Shopping Centre if you failed to oppose them during the official community plan debate that approved them last year.
Anyone who made even a cursory effort to join the OCP discussion, would have known that the intent was to rezone designated district centres to take the bulk of projected population growth during the next 30 years.
At the two-evening official hearing, the public was evenly divided over the amount and location of the new density and the arising transportation issues. But without overwhelming opposition, council adopted the OCP, opening the door to massive change in Lynn Valley.
Now, developers have submitted preliminary applications for three highrises and notified residents according to staff guidelines. Based on the public feedback that ends Monday, the developers will decide whether to submit detailed applications. These will require public information meetings and formal hearings if council agrees to consider the proposals. So, there will still be opportunities to let the developers and council know what you think.
Unfortunately, the district has chosen not to put this information on the front page of its website or widen the notification area. Some residents living adjacent to the shopping centre have received information about only one of the proposals, while others have got nothing. This leaves the district open to the accusation of limiting the response and "favouring" the developers.
An unfortunate beginning.
