Redevelopment plan brings reality to Fantasy Gardens
At long last.
Townline president Rick Ilich announced on Tuesday his plans to redevelop the Fantasy Gardens site with a mix of retail and residential development.
But the actual plan is some way off as he is going to do some very necessary public consultation. The biggest issue at this location is traffic congestion. Firstly because of the massive development of “Riverport” - a multiplex, bowling alley, ice rink, swimming pool, hotel yada yada - and now housing too! - just outside the distance which would have given the MoT some leverage. But mostly becuase of the evening peak hour tail backs from traffic trying to get to the tunnel which causes problems for the equally large retail developments at Ironwood and Coppersmith (a big box anchored by Canadian Tire) strip malls.
The Steveston Highway overpass of Highway #99 is one lane each way - which has been grossly inadequate for many years. And this intersection has also caused problems as traffic leaving the freeway northbound and trying to get into the industrial area also lines up - and the tail back can delay traffic attempting to get through the tunnel. Some recent “improvement” has been seen as the DoT has closed the scale at the north tunnel entrance. No doubt much to the relief of the tipper truck and container haulers, who were regularly prevented from moving further until they put their decrepit and neglected equipment back into roadworthy condition before being allowed to proceed. It may have helped reduce the conflict from merging trucks at the tunnel entrance but I do not feel any safer as a road user, knowing that these trucks will now be inspected much less frequently.
It will certainly be a welcome change from more temples and schools on this strip of land between No 5 Road and the Highway.
I was born on #5 and can still remember the twang of the wire of the interurban in the 50’s, picking up feed at Jameson’s in Brighouse (approx. where the Whitespot is on Garden City). Mylora farms was a dairy farm, where the girls delivered milk in traditional Dutch garb and the local gas station still had its tanks on stilts, out of the peat, next to the station.
Times have changes since those idyllic years and the last I saw of the old homestead, it was leaning into the bog, condemned because it was last used as a grow-op.
Steveston Highway overpass is one of the more challenging for cyclists. One would hope the new design accounts for cyclists.