The truth about development

There are a number of facts that always seem to be missing when talking about the old Spetifore farmland (now renamed the Southlands).

This land was in the ALR but was removed by a secret cabinet order behind closed doors. Since then, there have been a number of failed attempts to develop the land over the years and they have all included some amount of land being handed over to the city. It's typical of all large development plans and the plan brought forth by the Century Group is no different.

The land is currently zoned as agricultural by the City of Delta and is in the 'Green Zone' in Metro Vancouver's area plan. Both Delta city council and the Metro Vancouver land use board would have to revise their respective area plans to allow for development of the Spetifore farmlands. After which, the Century Group would have to put the development plan before city council as there is no development plan before council at this time. If the Century Group's plan was passed by Delta Council they would have to then convince the Metro Vancouver board to allow this mass development.The developer has to go through two more levels of government before he will be allowed to develop the land and that is only if the area plans are revised to allow it. It is very unlikely that this will occur given the political backlash any politician who voted in favour of this would have to endure. The numbers just don't favour it happening. You have to think, as a politician are you going to appeas one person (Sean Hodgins) at the risk of having yourself tarred and feathered by every environmental, agricultural, and conservationist group on top of the majority of your constituency? Highly doubtful in this era of 'green' politics.

Then there is the extreme tax burden that would be placed upon the entire citizenry of Delta for the major capital projects that would have to take place to accomodate the additional population in South Delta. Developers build infrastructure out as far as their property lines but it would be the municipality (the entire municipality not just South Delta) and the province that would have to collect more taxes to pay to upgrade roads, transit, sewage, water, recreation facilities, garbage collection, electricity, police, fire departments, ambulance, and medical services. Couple that with having to maintain the land that the Century Group would 'donate' to the city and the tax burden gets ridiculous. The argument that the additional taxes collected by the new subdivision would offset this is not even close to the truth when we are talking about expenditures in the hundreds of millions. So when the facts are presented properly now the local politicians will be forced to face the ire of the fiscal conservatives and there are a lot of those in Tsawwassen.

In essence the chances of the Century Group being given permission to build 1900 or so homes on the Spetifore farmalands is very unlikely. That being said there is a fight brewing and I for one am confident that the people of Tsawwassen, Ladner, Delta, and North Delta are up for it.