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l o v er Va per Your Weekly W ekll y CClover Valley Newspaper November 27, 2014 Y www.CloverdaleReporter.com Y 604-575-2405
Treeland Realty
Signs of life at old mall site Developer will build phase I; sales centre to open spring 2015
A tiny trainee
BOAZ JOSEPH / BLACK PRESS
‘Baby elf in training’ Chloe Gravel-Fallis, 3, at the Surrey Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at City Hall on Nov. 22. On Dec. 7, Cloverdale hosts Surrey’s Santa Parade of LIghts. For more turn to page 10.
By Jennifer Lang Months after business leaders scolded the city’s “mess” in Cloverdale, there are signs of activity on an old mall site that’s been the focus of frustration over a long-promised redevelopment project. A timeline from the Surrey City Development Corporation that all sidewalks and boulevard areas surrounding the vacant site of the old Cloverdale mall would be complete by midNovember has passed. But there are now sidewalks leading to the Cloverdale Legion, along with improvements to its entrance way that were in place just in time for Remembrance Day, when Branch 6 played host to hundreds of military and service personnel at its annual Nov. 11 gathering. New, vintage-style streetlights have also been installed and are powered up, as the Surrey City Development Corp breathes life into the stalled redevelopment project. The SCDC told The Reporter that developer TL Housing Solutions will build phase one of the project, opening up a sales centre on the southwest corner of the property in the spring of 2015. However, a planned new home for the Cloverdale Legion won’t be going ahead in Phase I on Lot 1 – TL Housing Solutions cites a downward trend in Cloverdale’s current real estate market,
something that was blamed for putting phase I on hold at the start of 2012. The mall was demolished in 2011 as part of a city-backed, multi-phase plan to redevelop the site with a mix of residential and commercial buildings, helping revitalize Cloverdale. Site servicing commenced in late 2012, with virtually no activity taking place except for remediation work related to contamination from a former dry cleaning operation in the Cloverdale Mall. The SCDC hired SNC Lavalin to perform remediation work. Remediation is expected to be complete by the end of next year. In the meantime, SCDC will continue to work with the Legion to see how a future new home could be accommodated in the long term plans for the site. Back in July, the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce, joined by representatives of the Cloverdale BIA, announced they were actively lobbying for improvements on the site in the short-term. The developers and the Cloverdale Chamber and BIA are collaborating on ways to improve the way the site looks. Addressing the lack of a sidewalk on the north side of 57 Avenue was particularly important to the Cloverdale BIA, which urged the city to pave the block.
Presenting our Christmas in Cloverdale edition We’re pleased to introduce our 2014 Christmas in Cloverdale edition of the Reporter, our annual guide to all the special events, family fun, shopping and more taking place in the historic town centre over the next few weeks. This year’s edition (see pages 7 to 26) features all the details on Surrey’s Santa Parade of Lights – a favourite Cloverdale tradition. Wondering what to get the kids this year? Parenting columnist Kristine Salzmann has some great ideas on creating memorable gifts for your youngsters. We also see a more personal side of our MLA, Stephanie
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Cadieux, who reveals 10 of her favourite things about the season of magic – from sipping hot chocolate to wearing brand-new PJs, an annual tradition she enjoys almost as much as opening Christmas cards or a tucking into a turkey dinner. And, while by no means definitive, we present a sample of worthwhile local seasonal initiatives that assist people in our community, and how you can help, too. We’ve also included our annual Christmas calendar featuring nearby seasonal concerts, panto-
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mimes, craft fairs and other special events. You’ll want to hear more about an exciting shopping event coming up next Thursday that will see some lucky participants taking home some great gift baskets, courtesy of local merchants. (The grand prize is worth a whopping $800.) All that, plus plenty of holiday reading that we hope will help inspire you to take time during this always busy season to create special memories with your friends, family and neighbours.
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– Jennifer Lang, editor
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