City of Port Moody Council Meeting, May 12, 2009 – Public Input
Your Worship and Council: John Grasty, owner at 84 Grant Street, Moody Centre.
My West End neighbours in the diverse areas of College Park, Glenayre, Seaview, Seaforth, East Hill, and Harbour Heights, have told us for many years about taking their business out of Port Moody for goods and services which cannot be found within walking distance of their front doorstep; we all know this is wrong.
It is also a major reason why Moody Centre West needs its own Evergreen Line Station at Barnet and Clarke to fully integrate all Port Moody neighbourhoods and make revitalization a certainty.
We are talking here about thousands of Port Moody households up the hill that are seeking the attention, support and leadership from this Council.
The Evergreen Line public information includes the option of a Western station in Port Moody, but the final number of stations has not yet been determined.
Last Friday I was able to review online the latest draft of the proposed Official Community Plan.
The vast community input and support for a more intensive re-development in Moody Centre West has been overwhelming and must be considered moving forward, but doesn’t seem to be reflected in this latest draft.
Throughout the entire OCP process, including the 2007 Charrette and other OCP public forums, our community as a whole has consistently expressed a desire to create a more complete community at the West End of Moody Centre that will finally serve the daily needs of area residents.
I am requesting Council to carefully consider the enormous opportunity for comprehensive land-use plans that takes into consideration the public input for the West End of Moody Centre.
Otherwise, the countless community benefits that this would entail, including the 3rd Evergreen Line Station, could all be lost.
A Skytrain station should be located on the west side of Barnet and then bridge over the highway if the powers to be want to do this properly.
This is an ideal location for higher density that could finally offer our community local access to the things we’ve always needed in the area.
This location should be high on the list of possibilities being considered.
If an Evergreen Station in the west end becomes a reality the inevitable revitalization would also attract commercial interests accessible to local pedestrians.
As a resident of Moody Centre where we lack many of the basic services enjoyed by locals at Newport Village to the east, I’m currently forced into the traffic of St. Johns, Clarke and Murray, especially in the mid afternoon.
Such a station might also help get people using transit, and reduce the erratic and often dangerous behaviour of impatient drivers dodging traffic that now overflows beyond the main arteries into every laneway.
With proper planning this could be something very special for Port Moody. I’m in favour!