Dear Editor
Re: Residents not keen on Lougheed plans, Burnaby NOW, March 2. As I have attended the two open houses over the past two years, it is easy to understand why local residents are upset with the proposed redevelopment plan for Lougheed Town Centre.
An additional signalized intersection will be added on North Road between Austin and Cameron to impede commuters. More importantly, a new mall access is proposed on Bartlett Court directly opposite Cameron Elementary School. This access will serve new resident, service and delivery traffic in conflict with school children and drop-off/pickup parents in their vehicles.
As the March 2 article mentioned, the “town centre” will eventually have 30 highrise towers up to 50-plus storeys high. This information was not made clear at the public open houses. The concept plans showed the highrise towers as unlabelled black squares. The elevation drawings only vaguely hinted at the towers rising behind a street-level “podium.”
Does the Brighton Avenue firehall have suitable apparatus and staffing to respond promptly to fires and other emergencies in 50-storey towers? Where is the plan for an ambulance station to serve the 20,000 new residents? When will Cameron Elementary School and the Cameron library branch be enlarged to serve the mushrooming community?
Burnaby planning has designated four “town centres.” We can see what Metrotown and Brentwood look like. Why would we want Lougheed Town Centre to look the same? The eight proposed street precincts are a dog’s breakfast. Why can’t the bright minds at Shape Development propose a unique character for the entire site?
In the end, is this type of highrise, glass tower development “sustainable” as our weather changes from global atmospheric warming?
Derek Wilson, Port Moody
