The District of Maple Ridge have made the commitment for the Lower Jackson Farm on 102nd Avenue to become a park. There were 4 options proposed in the staff report to Maple Ridge Council on how to aquire the property from the owners:
- District of Maple Ridge purchase the Lower Jackson Farm property.
- District of Maple Ridge trade municipal owned property within the Urban Boundary for Lower Jackson Farm
- Upper Jackson be designated Urban Residential in exchange for Lower Jackson being dedicated to the District of Maple Ridge.
- Satus quo - Upper Jackson remains in the Urban Reserve and the District of Maple Ridge awaits outcome of the Master Parks Plan before exploring the acquisition of Lower Jackson through other mechanisms.
The proposal that Maple Ridge Council has proceeded with to Public Hearing is Option 3. This option should be the least desireable to anyone that lives in Albion:
- A minimum of 113 home on the upper property above the gravel pit on 100th Avenue, or as Maple Ridge Councillor Craig Spiers has suggested, even more.
- An unplanned for 200 more children into the already overcrowded Albion Elementary and Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary.
- Already ridiculously dangerous conditions on 240th Street for school children made insanely more so by adding 113+ more homes whose residents would be forced to use 102nd Avenue & 240th Street
- A dangerous one way in access to the subdivision along the steep curve where 102nd Avenue turns into 100th Avenue.
- Destruction of a real and productive piece of farmland located outside the Albion Urban area, creating unplanned for Urban Sprawl without following the implementation strategies of the Maple Ridge Official Community Plan.
The WIN-WIN solution that presents itself, but for inexplicable reasons has been neglected, is Option 2, for the District of Maple Ridge to trade a piece of property that they own that is already within the Urban Boundary such as Silver Valley.
The Public Hearing for the By-Laws to enable this travesty to happen #6674-2009 & #6675-2009 will be held at Maple Ridge Council Chambers September 15th, 2009 @ 7PM.
Please express your opposition to this debacle that will forever negatively impact the quality of life in the Maple Ridge real estate neighborhood of Albion. Come to the Public Hearing or write a letter of opposition to mayorandcouncil@mapleridge.ca
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your Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and surrounding areas Realtor
Situated on the shores of the mighty Fraser River and nestled against the Coast Mountains, Maple Ridge is a mecca of adventure for the outdoor enthusiast. Located 45 kilometers east of Vancouver, it is a progressive community well-known for its beautiful countryside and spectacular scenery. It is a community of urban sophistication that retains a sense of rural charm.
So it's all about politics and the future be damned. Politicians who think they are big fish in their little pond and spend their time plotting strategies for future elections and for some it is about how they can become Mayor (watch out Ernie for the two aging teeny boppers) or MLA or MP. Land use is too important to leave to land speculators and those who are elected on their dime. We need a better political system. The current one feeds apathy and this kind of thing becomes common place. On a related stretch, shouldn't there be a minimum education level to hold public office? Funny how some of the politicians side step the question of education qualifications when asked in favor of a long list of committees and boards they sat on. Do we really want professional meeting attenders running our city?
Maple Ridge council - we need a completely new group come 2011 and voters who pay some attention.
Dont despair just yet! Metro Vancouver needs to approve this land use and I suspect that the developer will have a much tougher time there then with the hand picked arm raisers and the idiot Craig Spiers who got himself so committed with his rhetoric that he coudlnt even get out of it when the people who brought this whole mess forward told them it wasn't the right thing to do.
Maple Ridge is the spot zoning capital of BC right now, remember the Official Community Plan is merely a suggestion here but fortunately we have Metro Vancouver to make the real business decision.