There is a growing divide in Port Moody over plans to pave a road through Bert Flinn Park.
A plan to extend David Avenue through the park to the Ioco Lands in Anmore has long been on the books.
The park, a popular spot for locals to walk their dogs, has always been bisected by a right-of-way but a new proposal to develop the Ioco Lands has regulars worried the David Avenue extension might actually get built.
Opponents of the proposed road organized a rally at Port Moody Galleria Tuesday night and are asking supporters to sign an online petition to put pressure on Port Moody’s mayor and city council.
Currently Ioco Road is the only access to the Ioco Lands and it is undersized and unsuitable to serve a new community.
Opponents of the new road say there are plenty of options for a new connector that won’t disturb Bert Flinn Park.
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“Anmore has been very quiet about what is essentially an Anmore traffic problem,” Port Moody resident Hunter Madsen said. “The reason all of this traffic is bothering the residents of Ioco Road is essentially because Anmore keeps growing.”
While opponents are rallying to keep Bert Flinn Park as is, there are currently no concrete plans to build a road through the park. The Ioco Lands development needs city approval in both Port Moody and Anmore. Since the developer — Brilliant Circle Group Investments Ltd — will be responsible for the construction of the road, a significant amount of community consultation will need to happen first.
Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay says they need to “make sure you have the public on board because this is controversial and we’re not going to wade into it just because. If you don’t have a good set of the public out there saying, ‘Yeah we think this is a good proposal,’ we’re not going to think it’s a good proposal either.”
The developer says there might be a workaround that could keep dog-walkers and other patrons of the park happy. They have yet to submit plans to the city and, according to Clay, any talk of finishing the road could be years away.
– With files from Aaron McArthur
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