SOME residents of the Seylynn area will no doubt be surprised in the near future when what could be a 32-storey tower springs up in their neighbourhood. To those for whom that idea is worrying, here's some advice: Say your piece before you see the cranes.
Time and again, readers write to the North Shore News expressing outrage at some new development down the block that they fear will block their view, shadow their yard or flood their roads with traffic. Too often these complaints are reasonable but futile, because they come too late in the process.
If they'd only made their voices heard ahead of time, things might have been different.
Any development that requires rezoning has to go to a public hearing before it can be approved by municipal council. And while some residents may dismiss the process in the belief that they can't fight city hall, the reality is they can - and many have done so successfully.
In recent years, grandiose plans for developments on the North Shore have been bounced back to developers in the face of resident outcry. And while it is unusual for a proposal to be scrapped outright, it is not at all uncommon for them to be reshaped to accommodate at least some of the neighbours' concerns.
The Monday meeting at which council considered the latest Seylynn Village proposal was attended by very few members of the community. The same should not be true of the upcoming public hearing.
If you care, complain now, or forever hold your peace.
