The South Fraser Blog

Please record and post this debate online for thos...

2012-01-31T13:49:16.952-08:00

Please record and post this debate online for those of us unable to attend!

Some of the existing "light industrial" ...

2012-01-30T20:32:07.936-08:00

Some of the existing "light industrial" use includes the Fraser Health Authrities Shared Services Facility which is a logistics distribution hub for the regions hospitals. It features state of the art materiels management and from all appearances is a good fit for the central location.

I don't see THIS particular light industrial use as negative (low pollution, high oversight, efficiency oriented) Perhaps is the other purple "light industrial" is as carefully implemented as the "Shared Services Facility" then those other future projects will also be a positive contribution to this area's overall planning.

My guess is the decline in trolley bus usage is du...

2012-01-25T11:31:30.647-08:00

My guess is the decline in trolley bus usage is due to user substitution with the Canada Line and not a specific Vancouver wide decline in transit usage. Not saying Surrey should not get more rapid transit, but these stats do not make that case. By the way from North Delta I would get more use from the Broadway Line than a Surrey extension (perhaps that is wrong, hopefully in the future Surrey will continue to improve as a destination).

Well this isn't very heartening...I'm movi...

2012-01-24T12:12:01.177-08:00

Well this isn't very heartening...I'm moving to Surrey next week and I am a transit person, too. I don't have a cell phone, either, but am considering getting an el cheapo one just for emergencies.

I have never owned a car and taken transit everywhere I've lived. I have seen a lot of crazy shit, but never anything like you've described here!

If tourism stats are a refection of the downturn i...

2012-01-13T09:47:45.540-08:00

If tourism stats are a refection of the downturn in our economy since 2007/2008. We hit a major recession with the failure of banks and the realestate meltdown in the USA. Tourism Langley is doing awesome work promoting Langley through it's various programs and activities. Do pick up their brochures, travel guide etc and you will be impressed!

You point out that Tourism activity in Langley has...

2012-01-13T09:44:38.179-08:00

You point out that Tourism activity in Langley has declined however you and your readers should know that this is not something that is unique to Langley! The economy suffered a major hit and a recession in 2007 and 2008, with the mortgage meldown crisis , failure of banks in the US etc. This has had impact to travel in a major way. Tourism is a "discretionary" expense so it gets hit when the economy goes through a slow down as it has in teh last 3 years so it is not a surprise that tourism to our province ( except one month in 2010 due to Olympics) and our area Langley is showing a decline.
This creates even more of an argument to have an non profit entity like Tourism Langley to undertake initiatives and marketing programs to promote Langley. Our company operates 2 hotels in Langley and am pleased with the work of Tourism Langley. You will be impresseed with the brochures, and materials prepared by this organization.

Hey Nathan, have you actually spoken to Tourism La...

2012-01-13T09:14:01.698-08:00

Hey Nathan, have you actually spoken to Tourism Langley about this?

In the few years (6) that I have been actively inv...

2012-01-10T22:24:08.619-08:00

In the few years (6) that I have been actively involved in affairs related to Abbotsford development, the City has made huge strides in moving towards the redevelopment of the old Downtown and development around the "Horseshoe" area, thanks to forward-thinking city planners. It will come, but unfortunately, not as quickly as some would want it to come. Market demand plays a key role in this. Thanks for shining a light on this issue.

Thanks!

2011-12-23T09:09:45.342-08:00

Thanks!

Congratulations on all your excellent blogging wor...

2011-12-23T08:53:55.427-08:00

Congratulations on all your excellent blogging work in 2011, Nathan.

I've taken international planners to Bedford L...

2011-12-17T16:06:53.594-08:00

I've taken international planners to Bedford Landing and the result was a mass photo session for hours and them reluctant to leave. The Flat Iron building you picture here will provide live/work options that wee not available in the other products offered to date. Before Bedford Landing, Fort Langley was on the decline and quickly becoming dirty old area of town. With the sprucing up of commercial store fronts by Mr. Woodward and Park Lane's investment, Fort Langley is looking tidy again. I think some people underestimate the value of these investments.

The Bedford Landing development is a plus for the ...

2011-12-16T11:23:58.355-08:00

The Bedford Landing development is a plus for the Fort Langley high street in at least two ways. It has added to the potential customer base for local merchants, which I would think is appreciated after the closure of the Albion ferry service; and it has added an easily accessible riverfront walk for visitors to the Fort.

I guess the question is: how do you define "y...

2011-11-29T07:34:53.396-08:00

I guess the question is: how do you define "young"?

In Langley Township in 2005, I was elected at age 29, and re-elected in 2008 at age 32. Michelle Sparrow is 31, and was elected in 2011. In Surrey, Barinder Rasode and Tom Gill are fairly young.

We definitely need younger people involved in all areas of public life, but I wouldn't necessarily suggest that "fresh ideas" can only be generated by younger faces. It's actually the legwork, research, reading and listening that generates great ideas--and that can be done by a politician of any age.

I wish it was still a light rail plan, instead of ...

2011-11-26T01:34:03.627-08:00

I wish it was still a light rail plan, instead of a sky train that will be going right by my window. And Lougheed will still be the closest station....

Keep ALR ALR!

2011-11-08T17:19:23.793-08:00

Keep ALR ALR!

Excellent work. Thanks.

2011-10-26T10:01:48.279-07:00

Excellent work. Thanks.

Densification is probably a requirement in the cre...

2011-10-20T12:19:54.716-07:00

Densification is probably a requirement in the creation of modern complete community, but so is the presence of retail and community services as well as transportation links. A bunch of towers or town-house rows built without services at the far end of the cow pasture is still sprawl; transit to such areas is impractical, and people have to drive for ten minutes to buy a litre of milk. Cheers

Just a quick comment. Any light rail service would...

2011-10-16T13:18:50.524-07:00

Just a quick comment. Any light rail service would also have an operating cost as you have to pay drivers and also maintain the system. I certainly think we need rapid transit in the South of Fraser, but we have many corridors to choose from...

As for Langley, the major growth area is along the 200th Street corridor. Except for Langley City, the Interurban route will not service the any major residential area of Langley Township (within 10 min walk)

Love your blog Nathan. I wish more people were inv...

2011-10-16T13:08:47.575-07:00

Love your blog Nathan. I wish more people were involved in these discussions. As for the actual content...

As far as the Golden Ears bridge is concerned and your point about it being far faster than the ferry, well, yes it is, but the ferry happened to be free, yet with it being decomissioned, the commuters no long have the option of a free route. I have a big problem with that. That's the problem with privatization; now the government essentially has an obligation not to compete with their private partner or they wouldn't be able to attract the investment.

Second, I don't know much about the geographic layout of the Interurban route in relation to the communities it would service, but the costs you point out are basically one-time costs, not recurring costs like you have north of Fraser. The investment would pay off.

My concern with continuing to relay on buses is that buses will not be a game-changer. Buses have and will always have a stigma of being inconvenient transportation for the poor man. I doubt they can shape land-use patterns toward dense urban nodes the way passenger rail would. Basically, I think that without a dramatic revisioning of transportation services, we will continue to be a car-dependent region for generations to come. Thoughts? I'm not sure where Mayor Green's criticism's come from, but I believe he has supported the Interurban?

Good work, Nathan. Just a couple of points: In th...

2011-10-13T14:45:52.873-07:00

Good work, Nathan. Just a couple of points:

In the current year, TransLink is paying $71 million for the financing and operation of the Golden Ears Bridge; forecast toll revenues of $35 million will cover only half this amount. In other words, Langley and Maple Ridge are getting the benefit of support from other parts of the region on this facility.

Second, before the Evergreen Line project can begin, we will need provincial enabling legislation on the two-cent fuel tax lift that the mayors have approved; it's my impression that we also lack a formal and detailed funding agreement between the Province and the federal government.

Nice in theory, but there are some flaws in this i...

2011-09-30T07:50:42.429-07:00

Nice in theory, but there are some flaws in this idea.

The most significant issue is that the existing arts spaces, limited as they are, are not being used to capacity in Langley. It's not like the Chief Sepass Theatre, Kwantlen auditorium, Langley Players theatre, Rose Geller Hall, Centennial Museum, various coffee shops, galleries, and others are booked solid. There's no overflow into rooms like LEC or even the Fraser River Presentation Theatre (inadequate as they may be).

Governments can't afford the "build-it-and-they-will-come" philosophy any more. For more arts spaces to come on stream, the Langley arts community needs to prove that the existing spaces are overbooked.

Further, most arts communities grow out of an existing neighbourhood--taking over cheap, rundown spaces and making them beautiful. To purpose-build such a community would be antithetical to the usual arts movements. Like claiming Disneyland's Main Street USA is "heritage."

Very true, but right now the bus that goes around ...

2011-09-28T07:14:03.499-07:00

Very true, but right now the bus that goes around Walnut Grove doesn't run all day between there and Surrey. I believe this is one of the possible changes.

For over a decade walnut grove to surrey central s...

2011-09-27T23:42:20.540-07:00

For over a decade walnut grove to surrey central service has been in place ( not every 10 minutes)

It sounded like this was being touted as a new service.

Te park and ride relocation coinciding with 200th overpass redesign was an example of compromise gone wrong.

I think that if Langley wants to be pedestrian fri...

2011-09-19T16:36:43.212-07:00

I think that if Langley wants to be pedestrian friendly, it should follow whistler's path; it should build a few pedestrian only streets in the middle of the middle of downtown. And, do it now, or else once langley keeps growing, it will become harder to change.

St. Joe's has a well-attended mass every morni...

2011-09-19T09:39:20.342-07:00

St. Joe's has a well-attended mass every morning, and special events from time to time. It's not really fair to say they only use their parking once a week.