Editor,
I beg to differ with Matt Dai who wrote that the proposed uptown hub in White Rock would be a win-win for all. I am not sure how he does his math but the uptown hub would not be a "free" project as he argued, "it won't cost taxpayers a cent."
First of all, it is costing White Rock residents the loss of a piece of property that was expropriated in order to create a green space in the uptown area, where we are in dire need of a park.
Instead, this proposed 12-storey project will further clog the uptown with many of the city staff and hub employees having to park on the street; it will cause traffic chaos. Instead of an outside sanctuary where people can gather and have a reprieve from the concrete jungle they will add more concrete to that already highly densified area.
Secondly, another 12-storey building will further cause wind tunnels and more long shadows over buildings that are already being deprived of sunlight.
Thirdly, it will be at a loss of the current city hall site which has more than enough room to be redeveloped into a new city hall and other services such as seniors centre, daycare, library, theatre and more. The current city hall and library site would be much more user-friendly and should remain a City of White Rock asset.
As mentioned by others, there could in fact, be a low-rise development that would facilitate subsidized housing as well. Plenty of room there to think outside of the box.
Further, I do not believe that the mayor and council should be making this decision on their own especially since two current members of council agreed to purchase this property as a green space initiative when it was initially expropriated. Instead, this mega project should be brought to the public via referendum since the properties that council is wanting to sell belong to all of the residents of White Rock.
Instead of beginning with community consultation, this proposal feels like the mayor and council of White Rock are putting the cart before the horse by erroneously announcing the project as though it is already a fait accompli.
Margaret Ann, White Rock
