Surrey city council rejects Fleetwood townhouses

8464 Wildwood Place

Tom Zytaruk, Surrey Now-Leader:

Surrey city council rejected at third reading a 58-unit townhouse project for a tony Fleetwood neighbourhood of single-family houses after dozens of speakers railed against the proposed development at 8464 Wildwood Place during a public hearing at City Hall on Monday November 18.

The application failed on a five-to-four vote, with Mayor Brenda Locke and councillors Linda Annis, Mike Bose, Harry Bains and Mandeep Nagra voting in opposition and councillors Pardeep Kooner, Rob Stutt, Doug Elford and Gordon Hepner in favour.

Council heard that 95 per cent of the neighbourhood – some 484 residents – signed a petition against the proposal. Residents complained it would increase traffic, density, noise, overburden local schools and parks, drive down land values, be an eyesore, bring “criminal activity” and transiency and otherwise wreck their quality of life.

“It will destroy the character of our neighbourhood,” Gary Dhadda said.

“Our neighbourhood consists of 10,000 square feet to 22,000 square feet half-acre lots with large luxury homes so putting 58 townhomes right in the middle of these houses is not appropriate. Our neighbourhood is quiet, peaceful, lush green and safe.

“This development will cause great harm to the quality of life we enjoy in this neighbourhood,” he told council. “We need single-family quarter-acre lots that flow with the overall layout of the neighbourhood and complement this existing, well-established character. We don’t need townhomes.”

The staff report notes that the site is about a 1.5-km walk from the nearest proposed Surrey Langley SkyTrain station, at Fraser Highway and 166 Street.