The Editor,
Re. “Remove road from Bert Flinn: motion” (The Tri-City News, July 29).
I was interested to read the referenced article but feel that some historical context is required.
The David Avenue connector may have first been identified in Port Moody’s OCP in 1984 but the route was identified many years earlier by the Greater Vancouver Regional District (now Metro Vancouver) when it was known as the David Pathan Connector.
Much of the current proposed David Avenue extension was not in Port Moody in 1984. The area west of April Road to Indian Arm and north to Buntzen Lake was part of the GVRD’s Electoral Area B until Anmore was created in 1987 and the Port Moody boundary extended in 1989 to include the Ioco area west of April Road.
The Advisory Planning Commission of Electoral Area B, working with the GVRD planning department, created an extensive advanced street plan covering the area north and west of Port Moody in the mid 1970s. All building permits in the electoral area were issued in accordance with this plan and in anticipation of the eventual completion of the planned roads.
Completion of David Avenue has been waiting only for sufficient development west of Mossom Creek to justify the expensive creek crossing that will be required.
There are many citizens who are and will be affected if David Avenue is not completed as planned. Talk to the residents of Ioco Road and the Barber Street area, not to mention the citizens of Anmore and Belcarra, who have been enduring continually increasing traffic counts related to existing developments and the popularity of White Pine Beach, Buntzen Lake and Belcarra Regional Park.
The Ioco Townsite will be repopulated to something approaching its historical density and the former Imperial Oil lands to the north of the Townsite in both Port Moody and Anmore will be developed.
It is imperative that an additional east/west connector be added north of Ioco Road for the benefit of all residents of the city’s north shore. Now is not the time to ask council to “pull up the drawbridge” to prevent the long-planned and logical next step.
Peter Bevan-Stewart,
Port Moody
