Public Correspondence / Emails (Public submissions re: developments / traffic)

From: Suzette Chapman

To: Suzette Chapman

Subject: 20190530 - RE: New Residential Developments

Date: Thursday, May 30, 2019 8:57:56 AM

-------- Original message --------
From:
Date: 2019-05-30 1:21 AM (GMT-08:00)
To: mayor@langford.ca
Subject: New Residential Developments

Dear Sir, I don't live in Langford (Saanich, instead), but I visit frequently as our kids and grandkids all live in Langford. I appreciate and admire the progress and development you have encouraged in Langford. When we moved to Victoria 40 years ago Langford was quite different than it is now, it has become far more sophisticated, has developed it's own identity and people now live there by conscious choice.

My concern is not just about Langford, it applies to all the south Island communities experiencing rapid residential "growth" and "regeneration". Actually, what these buzzwords describe is the massive growth in population density, which is not in itself a bad thing if we want to control urban sprawl. However, when you take a 3 or 4 house land assembly of single family homes housing maybe 8 people and replace it with a multi-story residential block of apartments housing 50 to 200 people, something that is happening throughout the region, there are, as you well know, increased pressure on all levels of infrastructure, and these pressures are factored into the development and permitting process.  

What appears to be consistently forgotten in this process is the corresponding increased demand on the existing green space, be it larger wild spaces, pocket parks, school yards or playgrounds. Even new single-family homes are now being built with very little green space and certainly without the yards we knew as children. So many more families are raising their children in multi-family developments and apartment blocks, strata or rental, with very little if any designated play space. When we are encouraging seniors to keep active and campaigning to get children outside, not just for team sports or classes but for daily unorganized or free play, when we are encouraging the whole community to develop lifelong physical activity as a habit we are making it increasingly difficult when the local amenities are over-taxed, inconveniently located or non-existent.  

Could I please suggest that you ask city staff to do an inventory of all undeveloped city-owned land, and that this inventory be reviewed for any plots that can be joined together to become new green space. Nothing fancy, just clean, safe, accessible space with a wide path and a bench or two, perhaps a street light for safety and a garbage can. I would also encourage the city to ask more of developers with regards to undeveloped space on or adjacent to public land. Any new schools should include in their playground and sports space a treed space with benches that encourages local citizens to rest and enjoy. Perhaps the city could also develop a policy of land purchase when properties come on the market where they can be added to adjacent green space or be adapted to address deficits in local neighborhoods. At the present rate of development and densification, all communities will be in "catch up mode" to maintain and increase livability and it only gets worse if action doesn't happen very soon. It may seem to be an exaggeration, but if we don't attend to this it wouldn't take much to wake up and find

proper traffic flow. It's fine when one of the two streets isn't heavily used but when you have intersecting roads like Peatt and Goldstream it will be a nightmare with lots road rage!! Please reconsider!

ourselves in the middle of a West End Vancouver situation, with no Stanley Park to compensate. There may be some very good and generous public spaces in the Western Communities but on a day-to-day basis each neighborhood needs some type of green space within a few blocks to accomplish the livability goal.

Thank you for considering my suggestions.

[redacted]
Victoria BC
[redacted]

Sent from my [redacted].

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