A proposal to revitalize Ladner Village is being met with resistance from some residents who say the City of Delta wants buildings that are too tall for the area.
Delta has been working on a plan to “reactivate” the waterfront for several years, and according to Coun. Dylan Kruger, it has the support of 65 per cent of residents, along with the Delta Chamber of Commerce and Ladner Business Association.
“As you see the waterfront today, most of it is inaccessible. It’s fenced off, there’s older buildings and debris that are actually (preventing) the ability of residents to access the water,” he told Global News.
“This plan is really about finally restoring access to the water, bringing connection by expanding our open space, expanding our park space, new waterfront trails that can be incorporated into the dike system, and more businesses as well, bringing people down here with more coffee shops and restaurants.”
Most of what Kruger is pitching is uncontroversial. He was vice-chair of the Ladner Village Renewal Committee.
But there’s one element of the plan that a group of residents oppose: the allowance of several six-storey buildings in the Ladner Village.
Brian Webb with Ladner Village Concerned Citizens said he supports revitalizing and densifying the village. He likes parts of the plan aimed at heritage preservation and improving waterfront access.
However, Webb’s group has collected 600 signatures on a petition opposing the proposal, which they plan to present to Delta council on Tuesday.