Next Wednesday, March 4th, 91原创 City residents will have another opportunity to shape the future development of the Nicomekl River District.

Scheduled to run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Nicomekl School multi-purpose room, at 20050 53rd Ave., the event will see City staff present a 鈥渄raft concept鈥� of a plan that would create a four-zone district along both sides of the Nicomekl River corridor between 196th Street and 208th Street.

Zones would include the 鈥淕arden Wild鈥� on the western end, which would see the area around Brydon Lagoon kept as natural as possible, the 鈥淟iving Room鈥� for residential development, the 鈥淟ibrary,鈥� where educational and interpretive programs would operate, and the 鈥淔ront Porch,鈥� on the eastern end, which would aim to encourage use of the corridor trails and other amenities.

City Chief Administrative Officer Francis Cheung explained the work on the Nicomekl District is taking place slightly out of the usual order, before the City completes an overhaul of its Official Community Plan.

鈥淕iven that鈥檚 there鈥檚 been a lot of interest in land development, we don鈥檛 want to miss opportunities for developers and the community,鈥� Cheung said.

He described the Wednesday meeting as 鈥渧ery much fine tuning鈥� the plan.

鈥淔or now, it鈥檚 really showing what we have heard from the community and different interest groups, and stakeholders, and see if we are heading in the right direction,鈥� Cheung said.

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According to a City report summarizing response at two public forums on the plan, many participants felt a鈥漨ix of uses and increased densities (both north and south of the Nicomekl) in strategic locations may be appropriate鈥� while a few were concerned with 鈥渋ncreased densities in their neighbourhood and the impact it would have on the city鈥檚 infrastructure.

Some were worried that 鈥渁ny type of intervention within the floodplain could disturb existing plant and animal life.鈥�

A report on the public input broke down responses into 鈥渉opes鈥� and 鈥渇ears鈥� with the biggest hope being for 鈥渁menities for livability鈥� and the biggest fear being 鈥渘o change or progress鈥�

A City online posting noted the word Nicomekl icomes from the Halq鈥檈meylem language used by the Sto:lo people, meaning 鈥渢he route to go鈥� or 鈥渢he pathway.鈥�

dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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