Opposition towers over proposal
Coquitlam council dismayed over lack of awareness on consultation process
By John Kurucz, Coquitlam NOW June 1, 2011
The Beedie Group proposed a 24-storey tower at the corner of Austin and Blue Mountain, which drew the ire of residents Monday.
Photograph by: Photo submitted, for the NOW
On Monday, the residents expressed their frustrations. On Tuesday, it was council's turn.
The issue of a 24-storey tower in the Austin Heights neighbourhood was the subject of ardent opposition at a public hearing Monday night, one that saw the Coquitlam council chambers over capacity.
The Beedie Group proposed to build at the corner of Austin Avenue and Blue Mountain Street a 24-storey tower, a facility that would have included 168 units, 12,000 square feet of common amenities and three at-grade commercial units.
Given the public outcry Monday, the issue was ultimately referred back to staff to try and find a middle ground between the local opposition and the developer's plans for the site.
The majority of those in attendance Monday claimed that the height was too much to reconcile, while others accused council of not notifying the public of the proposed facility.
The latter point left Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart bewildered in an interview with The NOW on Tuesday, as he noted that planning for the redevelopment of the entire Austin Heights area has been in the works for close to three years.
"I was surprised at the number of people who said, despite dozens of newsletters, newspaper stories and everything else, that they hadn't heard anything about this enormous process that's been going on for three years," he said.
"It's an eye-opener, it's a little bit frustrating and a bit discouraging. We've got work to do."
About 50 people spoke to the proposal Monday night -- with about three quarters voicing opposition -- and the evening's proceedings wrapped up shortly after midnight Tuesday morning.
Coun. Mae Reid, chair of the city's land use committee, echoed Stewart's sentiments in an interview Tuesday, saying that dozens of public input opportunities prior to Monday night came back in favour of some type of high- or mid-rise buildings being built in the area.
One of the more recent public input sessions took place on April 14 at the Vancouver Golf Club. That event was attended by 140 people and 78 comment forms were submitted. Of those, 52 people supported the Beedie proposal, 16 opposed the idea and 10 were undecided.
"Most people want to see redevelopment, some don't and some never want change. Change is hard and I understand that. But there comes a point where you have to redevelop. Highrises were a part of all these meetings," Reid said.
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Read more:
http://www.thenownews.com/news/Opposition+towers+over+proposal/4873930/story.html#ixzz1O9nErAPK
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. Meanwhile in the tri-cities we have decent towers that actualy interact with street
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