Editor: On July 17 the mayor called a special meeting for a new vote on the Brookswood-Fernridge OCP, which was rejected earlier.

The Township staff was given free rein to promote the 2017 OCP. However, they were unconvincing in their hour long attempt. Nobody was allowed to the defend the 1987 OCP but it still came out ahead after the vague and meandering presentation.

Thanks to Coun. Richter’s questioning, staff had to admit that all development applications, whether applied under the 1987 or 2017 OCP, would have to comply with the same updated and rigorous standards of development, including environment, trees, aquifer, etc.

So why not keep the better 1987 OCP, which is preferred by many and hardly opposed by any?

The 1987 plan has 85 per cent single family homes; the 2017 plan reduces this to only 70 per cent.

The 2017 plan increases the population by almost three times, from the current 13,500 to 39,000.

Most of this density increase in the 2017 plan will be in the central core around 32 Avenue and 200 Street. You will constantly have to navigate through this mini Willoughby every day.

How will this preserve the look and feel of Brookswood-Fernridge?

Don’t let the spin doctors mess with our heads. The beautiful area of Cedar Ridge was developed under the 1987 plan. That’s the way Brookswood-Fernridge is meant to be.

They are trying to entice us by giving us the illusion of saving some trees by creating smaller 5,000 and 6,000 square foot lots — the kind of lots that encourage one- and even two-bedroom suites. A poor trade-off.

The 1987 plan is much better with its clear language and lower density. We don’t need the vaguely worded, poorly planned 2017 version.

We don’t need another Willoughby.

B. Alderliesten,

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