There was an interesting item on CBC Radio 106.1 this morning. I have been waiting to see if it was going to get posted on the CBC website all day but it hasn't happened...........
The reporter was talking to some woman who walks regularly in the woodlot along the north side of Hall's Creek between Mapleton Road and Connaught (aka the "Vision Lands"). She came across some workers surveying in there and became concerned that development was impending.
Turns out she was right. She did some digging at city hall and found out that several hundred acres had been sold for residential development by both the city and U de M. This is probably about 20% of the whole Vision Lands.
The development company (who's name I have forgotten) apparently has a reputation for "green development" and is planning a 30 metre buffer between the subdivision and Hall's Creek and is also planning numerous walking and biking trails. It sounded actually rather nice.
This woman however was appalled and began decrying urban sprawl and the destruction of natural habitat. She was very passionate about losing this natural area. She wanted any development blocked. Her preference was to increase densification of the urban core instead.
While I had some sympathy for her arguments (most people on the forum would applaud densification of the core), I think she was a little off base here.
The Vision Lands could be considered as an infill project. It is located only a few km from downtown and is close to U de M and the hospitals. If this land is protected, I think that you would run the risk of even more far flung sprawl 10-12 km from the downtown as people would look elsewhere for development options. This would only serve to worsen traffic congestion even further. Her anti-sprawl argument therefore is rather specious.
Developing cross town traffic connections north of Wheeler is also important in relieving traffic congestion, especially on Mountain Road.
Greater Moncton also already has several large urban parks (Centennial, Mapleton, Irishtown and St. Anselme), not to mention the already extensive trail systems along the riverfront and spreading throughout the city. I don't think preserving the Vision Lands therefore is a priority. A case could (and should) be made for ecologically sensitive development. It sounds like this is already the plan that the developer is considering.
Hopefully prudent and ecologically sensitive development of the Vision Lands will soon begin to happen.
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In all seriousness though, I really have no idea. Although, I think a BestBuy on that lot would be a pretty tight squeeze.
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