Pitt Meadows residents rally against expansion of industrial parks

Residents in Pitt Meadows, B.C., rallied on Saturday against the expansion of an industrial park that would be developed over what is now agricultural land.

"They didn't ask us what we want.Nobody asked us.We pay taxes here. We have a right to say in our city," said resident CarolineRojo.

Over the past few decades various councils have been working onan official community plan, which includes taking parcels of agricultural land and turning them into industrial parks.

Phases one and two of the plan are already complete, but phases three and four are still up for debate.

"There's competing issues on this topic,so council is waiting to hear all of them before a decision is made," said Pitt Meadows council memberBruce Bell.

If the last twophases do get approval, South Pitt Meadows will get another twomillion square feet of warehouses and business parks.

'I think the argument for it is to try to have some tax balance. This was an idea of the official community plan many years back," Bell said.

But opponents saythe community has changed since the first two phases were put in place.

Severalnew residential developments have been built with families who say they don'twant huge warehouses and trucks only blocks away

'It doesn't fit the community anymore'

"It was put on the books when Pitt Meadows didn't look like it does now," said residentDeannaHines.

"I think that's what were struggling with.It doesn't fit the community anymore so they need to get out of the industrial park mentality and let's have services to support families."

Only twocity councillors voted against the industrial parkson first reading Bill Dingwell was one of them.

"I think we could spread out our tax burden in a number of developments. What this does is concentrate it all down in South Pitt Meadows," Dingwell said.

The planis nowhere near a done deal. Council has yet torezonethe agricultural land, and the development company that owns the land still has to make its final proposal.

But residents protesting on Saturday saythey will continue fighting against it.

"At the end of the day, how would you like to live with your family bordering what could be the second-largest business park in B.C.?" said CoryKostyniuk.