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Surrey's alley plan opposed by residents

Neighbours upset over city's ‘surprise’ proposal to build coach homes in the area
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From the second floor of her new home

Eight months after Steven and Juliane Khadra moved into their brand-new home with their two sons in the 17300-block of 1A Avenue, they learned the City of Surrey was considering an application to build an alley behind them.

A builder wants permission to construct a row of two-storey coach houses along the alley, facing the narrow backyard of the Khadra home.

It was an unpleasant surprise for Steven Khadra, who says when he checked the city zoning plans for the neighbourhood before he bought, there was no hint of an alley in the works.

It was also a surprise to his neighbours, he says. So the Khadras and 28 other homeowners signed a petition against the proposal.

“Everybody is vehemently against it,” Khadra told Peace Arch News.

According to a city staff report, the new houses will fit in with the character of the other homes in the area, a brand-new neighbourhood still being built a few metres away from the Canada - U.S. border in South Surrey.

But Khadra dismissed the assertion.

“They’re building smaller houses on smaller lots that are very different from our side of the street,” he said.

At a public hearing before Christmas, city planners agreed to take another look.

The result, Steven Khadra said, was an offer in early January of two alternatives designed to mitigate the impact of the alley without eliminating it.

One option would move the coach houses back from the Khadras and their neighbours, while the other would shift the alley.

While a staff report says the builder has offered to construct the coach homes with no second-story balconies to preserve privacy for neighbours, Khadra is not placated.

“It’s still a two-storey building and it’s still overlooking our backyard,” he said.

“We don’t want an alley.”

If approved, the proposed project would chop down 23 mature protected trees, which would have to be replaced.

Traffic is also an issue for residents. Khadra estimated that once all the coach houses are occupied, they would generate close to 400 vehicle trips per day, all passing about eight metres away from his kitchen, dining and bedroom windows.

Residents who oppose the lane insist the development plan could be adjusted to eliminate the alley while preserving the as-yet-unbuilt housing.

 

They are hoping to convince council to intervene when the proposal goes to a final vote later this year.

 

 



Dan Ferguson

About the Author: Dan Ferguson

Best recognized for my resemblance to St. Nick, I’m the guy you’ll often see out at community events and happenings around town.
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