Maple Ridge council asked for more information on a proposed business park in the shadow of the Golden Ears Bridge, and it got it Monday, then sent the proposal on for full discussion at a later meeting.
According to a staff report and diagrams of the proposal, the 41 acres owned by Camp Developments will have a buffer area where the odd-shaped property borders Hazelwood Street, as well as along the back yards of homes along Ospring Street.
A larger buffer area on the northern end of the property, also near Ospring, will have a meandering stream lined with native vegetation to encourage fish production, while the business park also will have a mini park, playground and green space on its property near the corner of Hazelwood and Ospring.
A larger green space and buffer on the west side of the property, closer to the Golden Ears Bridge and next to an environmentally sensitive area, will have a winding pathway with interpretive signs, as well as a detention pond, and will run the length of the property to Wharf Street.
Pathways will allow Hammond area residents to access those green areas within the business park.
Camp Developments re-acquired the property from TransLink in an out-of-court settlement after TransLink abandoned its plans in 2009 for a bus maintenance yard. TransLink previously had expropriated the property.
Kevin Hussey, with Aquilini Development and Construction, one of the partners in Camp Development, said the goal is to develop the northern portion first, near the Kingston Street entrance, and Maple Meadows Business Park.
Then the focus will shift to the southern portion, where the partnership wants to entice a larger tenant.
The proposal will go to regular council for first reading.
As part of the application process to achieve industrial zoning, Camp Development had two meetings with local residents this year.
Residents at a Sept. 27 meeting were worried about possible traffic flowing through the park if a road connects Kingston and Wharf streets.
Coun. Al Hogarth was also concerned about the impact of a through road and said Wharf Street is too narrow for trucks.
Some residents were concerned about motorists exiting Golden Ears Bridge and cutting through to Wharf Street as a means of getting farther east.
Hussey said there were pros and cons to having a road connect to Wharf Street and pointed out a traffic study may be required.
People were also concerned about noise and impact on drainage and groundwater levels when the project is built.
While TransLink had preloaded part of the site to compact the soil, Hussey said Camp Developments is starting its geotech studies from square one, assuming no research or work has been done yet.
He has reviewed concerns raised from TransLink’s neighbourhood liaison committee from five years ago.
Depending on if council approves the rezoning, the market demand and soil conditions, “If everything went smoothly we might see construction start in two years,” Hussey told the group at the Sept. 27 meeting.
