Correspondence from C. Little re: OCP and Rezoning Application - 2401 Burnside Road West
Resident opposition detailing specific facility impacts including hours of operation and bus volume.
Rezoning and Official Community Plan Amendment Application for 2401 Burnside Road West
From: Candy Little Sent: May-14-18 9:33 PM To: Info Address info@viewroyal.ca Subject: Rezoning and Official Community Plan Amendment Application for 2401 Burnside Road West
As a long term View Royal resident, I want to add my voice to those of us who are vehemently opposed to the HandyDART facility proposed by BC Transit.
A rezoning application submitted by BC Transit targets crown land at the corner of Burnside Road West and Watkiss Way. The plan is to relocate and expand the HandyDART facility currently located in the Vanalman industrial park. The expansion would include a fueling station and vehicle maintenance facility as well.
This project requires an amendment to View Royal’s Official Community Plan (OCP) land use designation from “Parks, Open Space and Recreation” to “Community Facility”. According to the application, plans for the new facility include:
- Accommodating 90-115 buses;
- Hours of operation: 4:30 am to 11:00 pm, 7 days a week;
- A minimum of 90 buses would enter/exit the site daily between 7:00 and 9:00am (morning rush hour);
- Diesel engines would be purged daily;
- Back-up reverse alarms tested during pre-trip inspection for every bus, prior to each shift;
- Bright lighting throughout the facility for employee safety; and
- An emergency access lane will cross the heavily-used Galloping Goose Trail.
My opposition stems from the undeniable negative impact this project will have on nearby residents, parks and popular trails. Here’s why:
- Salmon-bearing Craigflower Creek and its vibrant watershed runs right through the site;
- The proposed site is surrounded by established neighbourhoods, ongoing residential development and vital greenspace;
- Bordering this site is the Galloping Goose Trail, which is heavily used by commuters, recreational cyclists, runners, and walkers;
- Victoria Bowman Archery Club has invested nearly $70,000 building a world-class archery facility on the subject land;
- An elementary school is situated just a short distance from the site; and
- Traffic on W. Burnside and Watkiss Way is already severly impacted during rush hour.
How can this residential neighbourhood and highly-sensitive wetland co-exist with a fueling station, maintenance facility and bus depot? We have already lost trees and green space to residential housing. Where will wildlife go? What will become of the salmon in the creek? The lyrics of Joni Mitchell resonate precisely: “You paved paradise and put up a parking lot....”
I wonder if BC Transit’s Board of Directors and the Chair of the Accessible Transit Advisory Committee, living in their affluent neighborhoods would be okay with their beautiful surroundings being replaced by a large transit facility. Would they be supportive of their property values dropping? Well the citizens of View Royal also live in a rich area...rich with trees, parks, fish and wildlife, and a profusion of quality, outdoor activities.
I think it’s important to acknowledge the vital service BC Transit’s HandyDART provides. Some of my own family members have used this service and it is excellent! But this is no place for an industrial, pollution-generating bus depot, maintenance facility and fueling station. It should be located in an industrial zone, not on land that is perfectly living up to its current zoning standards of parks, open space and recreation.
Sincerely
Candace R. Little View Royal, BC