SURREY — Residents of the idyllic Grandview Heights area 5 in Surrey left city hall disappointed on Monday night (June 23) when, at the council meeting, it was announced that a portion of the rural area would be developed against the people of the community’s will.
Gary Cameron, a longtime resident of the area, which is characterized by its one-acre properties, was seething — though not completely surprised — when council announced they would be putting a subdivision in to the area.
Cameron isn't alone in wanting to see Grandview Heights stay rural.
“They did this despite the fact that area residents have overwhelmingly rejected the proposal because it sets an ugly precedent that will only encourage developers to start divvying up our area,†Cameron wrote to the Now in a letter.
In a later phone interview, he explained he did expect "the kind of crap" that they were talking about.
“They had to justify, especially after (Coun.) Barinder (Rasode) spoke up against it and they usually don’t talk on third-readings, but in this instance they felt like they had to justify it because it goes up against their own policies,†he said, noting that the official community plan (OCP) and General Land Usage Plan (GLUP) would prevent spontaneous development in rural zones like Grandview and Morgan Heights areas.
According to those policies, the city is not supposed to develop in the area until there’s a neighbourhood concept plan (NCP).
“The OCP says that when you drop a huge urban development into the middle of a suburban area — which is what Morgan Heights was — you’re supposed to transition into the less dense areas,†Cameron said. “Morgan Heights on 164th Street should have mirrored what’s across the street on 164th street, which is acreages.â€
One year ago, when six property owners wanted to develop, residents assumed it wasn’t possible because the policy restricted it, and there was still no NCP.
“Then we started learning that the policy is flexible — ‘It’s not our law, its more something that we put out there to make people feel good but we don’t go by it,’†Cameron said.
“When that project came through the public hearing, there were quite a few people in the community who came out concerned about (it) and the effect it was going to have on the one-acre properties in the Grandview Heights area,†said Coun. Judy Villeneuve. “I tried to explain at the public hearing that sometimes I think there’s a misunderstanding of what a Neighbourhood Concept Plan is. Usually they are put in place to achieve getting higher densities for their properties. This community has so many beautiful one-acre homes, and I think the majority of people in that community, including Country Woods and those areas want to preserve the acreage homes, so I didn’t want to see that Neighbourhood Concept Plan open up because then it puts pressure on people, from people that have an interest in developing, on those homeowners. Also, I don’t want to see that neighbourhood changed personally because I think there should be a variety of housing in the community.â€
The decision came through on Monday afternoon, shortly before the evening council meeting, in the city’s corporate report.