Email dated June 5, 2020 from B. Koning and M. Zemliak, 3873 Holland Avenue, Re: Proposed Eagles Nest Development

Regarding: Development at Helmcken and Burnside (Eagle's Nest)

We are writing to express concern over the proposed development at Burnside and Helmcken roads. Our concern is primarily with the density of this development and the increased congestion it will cause on the bordering roads and intersection.

From our home we have witnessed the dramatic change in traffic volume and flow on Helmcken and Burnside since the development of Eagle Creek and other condos in the area. It has led to a vast increase in traffic and a regular back up of traffic on Helmcken and Burnside roads. The lack of left turn lanes on Burnside is a small part of the issue but the bigger backup of traffic is from Eagle Creek all the way to Burnside and Helmcken intersection. It can get close to gridlock at times. From our perception there are also frequent accidents at the Burnside/Helmcken intersection.

Burnside road travelling northwest of the intersection is a very narrow country road which seems to carry more traffic than it was originally designed for. There is little room to enter and exit for the cars associated with 247 units and 325 parking stalls that are proposed.

We are not opposed to some increase in density in the neighbourhood. We were in favour of Eagle Creek. However, the previous developments in the neighbourhood has already taken up quite a bit of capacity. The location of such a large development at an intersection with no other alternate routes for traffic has to be a limiting factor to the size. There appears to be little room to make a larger intersection or to widen Helmcken or Burnside in ways that will significantly improve traffic flow. The only way to clear volume would be to have traffic move faster. The last thing we want is higher speed --if anything we would like traffic on Helmcken move steadily but more slowly. This traffic is flowing through a neighbourhood yet is treated as a secondary highway from the peninsula to the rest of the island.

We would urge council to consult traffic statistics to see if this intersection is already an intersection prone to more accidents than the average and study the traffic flow. If a further traffic study is to occur, we are concerned about when that data will be collected. Traffic has lightened a bit since the pandemic. Summer traffic and traffic during the school year differs as well. If the traffic is studied it needs to be a broad picture not just a snapshot of a couple of weeks. There are more units coming online behind Eagle Creek that are not fully occupied. This should effect volume as well.

We are not clear on what a reasonable increase in density would be. We can see increasing the number of units that were available from the old apartment building that will be taken down. A tenfold increase in units is excessive. We have a hard time seeing how even a hundred units would work.

Thank you for considering our feedback. We ask council to reject this current proposal and consider one that is significantly smaller and has significant emphasis on how to safely enter and exit the development. We still want a neighbourhood where people can safely walk and traffic noise and volume is not the defining feature or our landscape.

-- Ben Koning and Muriel Zemliak 3873 Holland Avenue View Royal, BC V8Z 5K2