Tuesday, August 3, 2010 Maple Ridge Burrards’ goalie is also handy in the kitchen.
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ary Annivers 1985-2010
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Heritage
Hammond rich with history There is much to preserve in one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Maple Ridge, but it will take the will of its residents to keep its charm and character. by Maria Rantanen mrantanen@mrtimes.com
H
ammond is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Maple Ridge and a drive through the area reveals many vestiges of its rich history. But given its proximity to the new Golden Ears Bridge, pressure is mounting to densify in the predominantly single-family residential area. “I think it’s going to be a struggle to maintain Hammond’s character and personality and to keep its history alive,” said Val Patenaude, director of the Maple Ridge Museum and Archives. “The development pressure is only going to increase. It’s difficult in these days with the land values that there are to retain the village aspect with the small houses that only take up a portion of their lot.” Hammond was one of the first
real neighbourhoods in Maple Ridge, Patenaude said. Port Hammond was going to become the main terminus for the Canadian Pacific Railway. “Port Hammond was thought to be destined for very great things,” Patenaude said, but, alas, it was supplanted by New Westminster whose location was more desirable. In recent months two applications for development in Hammond have come to Maple Ridge council, one for an industrial building on Maple Crescent Way beside the mill and the other for an apartment building on three lots on 206 Street. Maple Ridge councillor Michael Morden said he thinks everything is wrong about the application on Maple Crescent to rezone the property from town centre commercial to special industrial, which will allow for a two-storey industrial warehouse building. It would have made more sense
John Hammond’s residence is still standing in Hammond, one of many historic buildings in the neighbourhood. Troy
Landreville/TIMES
to have a mixed residential and commercial development there with retail stores at ground level and residences above, he said. “Nobody bothered to consult anyone in Hammond about this (application),” Morden said.
A view of Maple Crescent from Hammond’s early history. Photo courtesy of the Maple Ridge Museum.
“The key is neighbourhood consultation.” At this point, Hammond needs a neighbourhood association and an area plan in order to revitalize the historic neighbourhood, he said. He considers a Hammond area plan a higher priority than even the Albion plan that is currently being worked on. Morden added that it’s “crazy” that areas like Silver Valley where there is little infrastructure in place are being developed when an established neighbourhood like Hammond could be revitalized. The industrial building on Maple Crescent passed third reading on May 25. At that same meeting, Maple Ridge council gave first reading to rezone three lots at 206 Street and 113 Avenue from one-family urban residential to medium-density apartment residential. The area is designated neighbourhood residential in the Official Community Plan, which means it could have “limited infill,” that is, single detached homes, duplexes or triplexes. The proposed apartment building doesn’t fit with the OCP designation, a Maple Ridge staff report states, and would be only appropriate on a major road corridor. “The people of Hammond ... are going to have to get together and find a way to
maintain the personality (of the neighbourhood),” Patenaude said of future development in the neighbourhood. Patenaude gave the example of the Webster’s Corners Community Association that is consulted with when any development is planned in their area. Hammond needs a similar type of community association in order to preserve the character of the area, she said. A large part of Hammond is designated urban residential in the official community plan’s future land use schedule. Hammond is named after two brothers who came to the area in 1862 from Fenstanton, England. John was 26 when he arrived and William was 19. The Hammond brothers bought 120 acres of land on the riverfront. Four Katzie groups were thought to have occupied the land from what is now the Hammond/Interfor Mill to their present reserve on Bonson Road. The original Hammond home is located at Maple Crescent and Westfield Street. Three houses have been built on that property. But the house John Hammond lived in with his mail-order bride from Boston at Lorne Road and Waresley Street is still standing. See HAMMOND, Page 3
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