Dear Editor,

I attended the Brookswood Ferniridge Open House meeting on May 16th at the George Preston Rec. Centre.

Some observations:

A Township planner informed me that the proposed 160 acres of high density at all four 鈥渃orners of 32nd Avenue and 200th Street, represents only five per cent of the community. Well, if you excluded existing spaces allocated to schools, parks, reservoirs, rivers and creeks, lakes, roadways, firehalls, community centres and churches, plus their own hardscapes, gun ranges and commercial enterprises and parking, five per cent is, of course, inaccurate, misleading and pure obfuscation. Typical; and oh! by the way, this particular person did not consider townhouses and row homes to lie within the category of 鈥渉igh density鈥�. So much for the forests.

A proposed four-storey apartment block will be opposite the St. Catherine鈥檚 Catholic School, fronted by a four lane highway, east and west which will transfer traffic along 32nd avenue, past the lake, up the slope around the reservoirs, culminating on top of an obscured summit from all directions, as 208th Street is also to become four lanes. A blind man on a galloping horse can see the accidents waiting to happen.

I was previously informed that the new town centre would be 鈥渟mall鈥� and I suppose by some standards it is but for me it鈥檚 largish considering the uniqueness of the Brookswood Fernridge habitat. I鈥檓 not against development or this 鈥渉ub鈥� but its size. For the stakeholder of course, it鈥檚 golden.

Martin Allen, Brookswood