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Letter: Density done right will create a healthy Port Moody

The Editor, Re. "‘ Redefining the future of Port Moody’ " (The Tri-City News, Sept. 26). I am excited to imagine the possibilities for a future Moody Centre. This is an area that will define our city.
rendering
A conceptual rendering of what a transit plaza at Spring and Williams streets might look like in a plan for the Moody Centre transit-oriented development plan being put together by a consortium of 10 property owners in the neighbouhood along with city staff.

The Editor,

Re. "‘Redefining the future of Port Moody’" (The Tri-City News, Sept. 26). 

I am excited to imagine the possibilities for a future Moody Centre. This is an area that will define our city. Everyone who cares about Port Moody should take an interest. The developer’s consultant agrees, claiming that it is “about redefining the future of Port Moody." 

But how will this development area, and potential heart of our city, define our future? How will it contribute towards the huge issues we face such as climate change, housing affordability and transportation, as well as Port Moody-specific issues such as the need for more local amenities, including new public spaces and other community facilities?

As a transportation planner, these are some of the key principles that I hope the city and the land owners will follow to truly define the future of our city in a positive way: 

• Proximity to fantastic transit: This one is easy as Moody Centre is already there. Locating housing close to rapid transit gives more people the opportunity to travel to destinations such as work, stores or parks without the need for a motor vehicle of their own. It’s cheaper and better for the environment.

• A great mix of land uses: Locating shops, jobs, amenities and homes all together around transit means both new residents and existing ones all have more shops and services to walk to. Walking instead of driving lowers greenhouse gas emissions.

• Streets that are safe and delightful to walk on: A walkable community needs destinations but it also needs safe and comfortable walking infrastructure. People will walk longer distances if the walk is attractive. I used to live in Vancouver's West End and would happily walk 20 minutes to Yaletown for dinner; now, 20 minutes from my home in Klahanie would take me along the Barnet Highway toward Coquitlam — a very different proposition.

• Locating lower income housing close to transit: Based on the statistics shared by the landowners, approximately 12% of the residential units would be "affordable." Other municipalities are achieving higher numbers than this and we should encourage our city council to push for more. Port Moody, and Moody Centre in particular, should be a city where everyone can feel welcome.

• Ensuring enough amenities to meet the growing need: As we ask more people to live in smaller units, cities need to do density well. This means providing abundant public spaces and other amenities, vital for mental as well as physical health. The city should set high expectations for these early, so developers are aware of what’s being asked of them.

If the City and the landowners in Moody Centre can achieve the above, we will be on our way to creating a Moody Centre — and overall city — that is healthier for people, healthier for the planet, is more equitable and is a fantastic place to both travel through and hang out in. This is for all our futures.

Tim Barton, Port Moody