The Editor,
I am deeply concerned by the decision that Port Moody city council may take after the April 10 public hearing on the works yard and former fire hall sites. These lands are ideally suited to provide much-needed public amenities for our city, such as a new library, seniors’ centre, plaza and park.
The entire community space could be funded using the $16 million-plus of density bonus contribution the city will receive for approving two more towers in the already highly densified Suter Brook Village. There is no more financial justification for leasing or, even worse, selling those sites.
Private development would significantly detract from the sense of community of a civic centre. And towers on these lands would irreparably damage the iconic image of the City of the Arts, nestled between the mountains and the ocean.
The decision on the use of the inlet lands will dictate whether Port Moody will keep its identity or turn into another faceless slice of suburbia. Something so important deserves being voted on in a referendum. I am hoping this will be the outcome after the next Tuesday’s public hearing.
Sarah Alloisio, Port Moody
