Email dated May 15, 2020 from J. Devonshire, Re: Proposed Eagles Nest Development
Jane Devonshire supports the development for its focus on density and active transportation but requests less parking and fossil-fuel free systems.
From: Jane Devonshire Sent: Friday, May 15, 2020 2:10 PM To: Mayor And Council Email mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca Subject: Eagles Nest development
Dear Mayor and Council and CDAC,
RE: Eagles Nest Development
I am writing today to express my support for the Eagles Nest Development.
Following along with Todd Litman's "Cities for Everyone," I liked that this project checked off a lot of the boxes especially for building density up and not out and focusing on active transportation like walking and cycling. Thumbs up to the developer for offering units a $500 incentive towards an EV bike and for providing EV charging stations underground for both cars and bikes as well as a bike repair stop. The pull in bus stop with a bus shelter right outside the building will be a great incentive for people too to get out of their cars and use public transit. It can also save a family $5000/year to not have to have a car. It thoroughly makes sense to build more housing density in a transit friendly area rather than to create urban sprawl.
Two caveats:
- I would like to see a smaller ratio of parking spaces and Modo brought in as a car sharing option.
- I would object to any fossil-fuel sources of heating and cooling like any form of gas. We seriously need to reduce our GHG emissions in all new builds. Would like to see ground sourced geothermal heat pumps or solar with battery storage. The later would help us stay more resilient and not depend on BC Hydro when there are storm outages.
Saving of the mature trees and planting more trees than there currently are on site was welcome news as our urban canopy is vital for building a resilient community.
I think this increase to our tax base of roughly $275,000 annually will be very much needed to offset some of our loss of casino revenues. Climate change is still happening and we will need monies to mitigate and build a resilient community. Glad to see that Eagles Nest will be built to Step Code 3 standards.
If approved, the Community Amenity Contribution of $845,000 would be great to put towards the Regional Housing Trust Fund so you can get some match funding from other levels of government to invest in more affordable housing.
As for the aesthetics of the plan, I like the look of the rain garden, the community Woonerf, the community green, and the landscaping. I am hoping that the finished project will reflect what we are seeing on paper. Was wondering if there is the possibility of adding some food garden plots or a rooftop garden somewhere. In light of covid-19, we really need to start taking a serious look at our food security and becoming far more self-sufficient as we are at the mercy of the food supply chain. We only produce 10% of our food on the island so would like to see food gardens available in all future developments or contributions towards placement of such gardens elsewhere in the Town.
I think the developer has listened well and has addressed many of the concerns people have had. I sincerely hope that the residents of this project will change their social norms and turn to active transportation. I hope too that the finished McKenzie Interchange will alleviate much of the traffic congestion that I know is one of the major concerns around this project.
Hope you are all keeping safe and well.
Sincerely, Jane Devonshire