Editor:
A sign has gone up on the corner of Finlay Street and Russell Avenue proposing to amend the official community plan to allow the construction of a 13-storey building on property currently zoned for single-family homes.
A project of such a magnitude in this neighbourhood is no mere amendment to the existing community plan, but rather a complete rejection of it, and would clearly set a precedent for more piecemeal, ad hoc development in the city.
As population pressure on Lower Mainland communities increases, so too does the importance of adhering to carefully thought out, long-term development plans. Planning by zoning amendment after zoning amendment is no planning at all.
Let it not be said of White Rock in the future that as a community we did not plan to fail, but merely failed to plan.
It is my expectation that city council would consider developments from people who wish to invest in our community rather than those who merely wish to invest in real estate.
I earnestly ask our elected officials to reject the proposed amendment and take a stand to defend the regulations in place to ensure the orderly, well-planned development of our community.
Donald Fleming, White Rock