Picture Port Moody in 40 or even 50 years, when the children and grandchildren of today's decision makers are living in the reality that their ideas have become.
For Mike Clay, that picture is one in which Port Moody is significantly different from the city he lives in now - and that is as it should be, he says.
"Life changes around us and we adapt and we move on, and you work with it as best you can and you work with it to your benefit," Clay told The Tri-City News. "You could bellyache and complain about the negative changes SkyTrain might bring, or you can turn those into opportunities and make those good changes, and that's what we need to do."
The myriad changes set in motion under the recently adopted official community plan are ones that will create a sustainable city, Clay said, by bringing in a diverse mix of compact, walkable communities that attract thriving businesses and residential growth.
But even more important for Clay are the changes that will be guiding councils behind the scenes for decades to come.
"We've been working really hard on the long-term financial plan and the long-term capital asset management plan, which aren't flashy, they're not glorious, you don't get to cut ribbons, but it makes sure that in 50 years, we still have a recreation centre, a police building and a fire hall," he said. "It's making sure that we're mapping out our future needs and how we're going to pay for them."
Doing so will ensure that much-needed projects that have been percolating on the city's back burner for years - including an expansion of the library and the Inlet Centre soccer field - as well as future projects like the North Shore's infrastructure updates, become part of a cohesive, funded plan to address the city's needs now and many years from now.
"It's a huge shift in mindset and the way people are operating in the city, and getting away from being distracted by... grant opportunities for projects that we don't have any way to sustain over the years," he said.
The other issue that's top of mind for Clay - and most residents, he says - is traffic, although there's far from a "magic wand" solution to make it disappear.
"SkyTrain will take some of the burden off our roads but development to the east of us will put that burden right back again, so what are we going to do to accommodate that?"
The key will be working with the region and PoMo's neighbours, and the Tri-Cities Transportation Committee is a good start, Clay said.
But will development within PoMo's borders, spurred by the Evergreen Line, which is meant to relieve traffic congestion, simply add more fuel to the fire?
Not necessarily, according to Clay, who anticipates development around the stations - particularly Moody Centre, which will see the most changes - will be in compact, walkable communities that offer attractive residential and lucrative economic opportunities, as well as a chance to live a car-free lifestyle.
Clay cites the Suter Brook office tower as one of the biggest accomplishments of the last term, noting it will be home to more than 600 jobs and $500,000 annually in tax revenue for PoMo.
"People don't want to put their business where there's nothing around them," Clay said. "To attract a business... it has to be a good place for employees to want to live and work."
Whether it's exploring partnerships for projects like the Inlet Centre soccer field revitalization, the expanded library or a revamped Kyle Centre, envisioning a third station in the Westport area or planning for the city's financial future, Clay's golden rule is to take the long view - and be ready to embrace change.
"SkyTrain is going to change the city dramatically," he said. "But life changes. St. Johns Street was a two-lane dirt road when I was born there. We need to adapt to [SkyTrain] and work with it, not against it, so we can integrate it into the city properly.
"I want to see the SkyTrain opened and I want it to be with good planning around it. And I want our long-term financial plans coming into play so we have stability for the future."
It may not be flashy, but it's why Clay wants to sit in the mayor's chair for the next four years.
@spayneTC
