Friday
January 22, 2016 (Vol. 41 No. 6)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
Home sweet home: A local conservation group has found a permanent home in South Surrey after being gifted a $4.1-million heritage property on 16 Avenue. i see page 11
S U R R E Y
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Freedom of Information requests more than double in recent years
White Rock residents await answers Melissa Smalley Staff Reporter
Freedom of Information requests to the City of White Rock have more than doubled since 2013, but residents submitting the applications say they’re not getting the information they’re seeking. According to city staff, White Rock received 102 FOI requests in 2015, up from 63 in 2014 and 43 in 2013.
When asked Wednesday about the increase, city manager Dan Bottrill deferred to the city clerk’s office, noting he was “typically not involved� with processing FOI requests. “We’d have to take a look at the types of FOI requests to try and figure out whether or not there was anything in particular that would have created a bump,� Bottrill said. “Obviously, it’s going up over the three-year period.� City clerk Tracey Arthur told Peace Arch
News the nature of requests received in 2015 vary, but that 24 of the 102 came from four individuals. She noted that the process is becoming more well-known and “more individuals are utilizing it.� Unlike White Rock, the City of Surrey (with a population of more than 500,000, compared to White Rock’s approximately 20,000) has seen a steady decrease in FOI requests over the past three years. In 2015, Surrey received
313; in 2014, 327 and in 2013, 352. White Rock resident Erika Johansen is one of a handful of residents unhappy about the city’s response to FOI requests. Her request last spring asked for plans, correspondence and reports relating to the tree and vegetation removal on the Marine Drive hillside. Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, public bodies are i see page 4
‘Healthy’ discussion
Truck park adversaries hold talks Melissa Smalley Staff Reporter
Proponents of a truck parking facility slated for the Surrey/Langley border say they are committed to “protecting the integrity� of the environmentally sensitive area, however, those opposed to the project say there are “hundreds of questions� outstanding surrounding the proposal. The groups came together Monday for a private meeting at Surrey City Hall chaired by Surrey-White Rock MLA Gordon Hogg to discuss the application for a 77-acre commercial Coun. Tom Gill truck park at 16 City of Surrey Avenue and 194 Street. Concerns including the health of the Little Campbell River, which runs adjacent to the property, as well as pollution, food security and the future of the area have been raised since plans were announced in September. While discussions were described as “very productive,� there were mixed messages surrounding the origin of the meeting itself. i see page 4
Tracy Holmes photo
Barb Kotzer says downzoning proposed for her neighbourhood will significantly reduce property values and won’t accomplish what proponents hope.
Proponents say bylaw change is ‘first step’ to boosting tree preservation
Downzoning grows into major concern Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
Angst is building over an effort to “downzone� a second neighbourhood near Kwomais Point in Ocean Park. Opponents of the proposed change – which would reduce the allowed square footage and height of any new development – say it will be unfair to existing residents who want to sell or rebuild, as well as to potential new residents, who would be restricted. And, it would do little to save trees or char-
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acter of the neighbourhood, the reason for rezoning that’s been touted by proponents, adds Barb Kotzer. “It’s a big, huge stick trying to hit a specific problem, and in the meantime, it has huge ramifications,� Kotzer, a 16-year resident of the area, told Peace Arch News Wednesday, citing jeopardized views and a reduction in property values of $100,000 to $150,000. “This does nothing to address (tree and neighbourhood-character preservation). “It’s going too far. It’s getting to the point of
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ridiculous that it’s getting this far.� The City of Surrey is in the midst of neighbourhood consultation after receiving a petition last July requesting the area – between 128 and 130 Streets and from 13 to 14A Avenues – be rezoned ‘comprehensive development’ (CD) from ‘single family residential’ (RF). The change would reduce the maximum square footage and height of any new development on the 5,000-square-foot lots, restricting size to 2,600 square feet and height to 26.5 i see page 5
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