Dear Editor:
Re: Skyscraper stirs debate, Burnaby NOW, Feb. 28.
I empathize with the concerns of some residents of the Brentwood neighbourhood about the redevelopment of the Brentwood Mall by Shape Properties.
This company proposes to redevelop Lougheed Mall too. A public open house was held a Cameron Recreation Centre on Feb. 14.
The display panels showed bird's-eye views of the redevelopment plans and appealing photographs of streetscapes and plazas taking in other locations.
Several of the plan and elevation drawings hinted at skyscrapers in the redevelopment. But there were no artist's perspective renderings to reveal the final appearance of the redevelopment.
The emphasis in the presentation was on internal pedestrian and vehicle movement. But the display offered no information on the four new intersections on Cameron Street and Austin Road (in addition to the five existing accesses).
Why didn't Shape Properties present information by its traffic engineering consultant on the level of service of these intersections at full build-out?
City of Burnaby planning has to be more forthcoming on these types of redevelopments if it wants to avoid the blowback it is experiencing from Brentwood residents. Will southeast Burnaby be next to rebel?
Derek Wilson, Port Moody
