Shape the Regional Growth Strategy

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  Single mother creates a beautiful home for her family

  by ccavanaugh, over 4 years ago
  I had worked very hard at two jobs and saved some money as a single mom. We lived at the time in Vancouver but where could we afford to buy? Chilliwack. I found a heritage home on a lot large enough to plant fruit trees, have a garden, build a tree fort. It was a dream come true. My kids could walk to school, whatever their age, walk to a fishing hole, walk to the library, walk to a cow field. It was heaven on earth.

  I had worked very hard at two jobs and saved some money as a single mom. We lived at the time in Vancouver but where could we afford to buy? Chilliwack. I found a heritage home on a lot large enough to plant fruit trees, have a garden, build a tree fort. It was a dream come true. My kids could walk to school, whatever their age, walk to a fishing hole, walk to the library, walk to a cow field. It was heaven on earth.
• Share Grew up here, Raising family here on Facebook Share Grew up here, Raising family here on Twitter Share Grew up here, Raising family here on Linkedin Email Grew up here, Raising family here link

  Grew up here, Raising family here

  by DJS, over 4 years ago
  I remember when the Chilliwack mall was built, and the Sheffield plaza was a corn field. This town has changed so much since those days you wouldn’t recognize it now. I used to think, when I was a kid, that Chilliwack was a hole! But then I travelled the world a bit and realized we are truly spoiled to live here. My kids are attending my old high school, and my old school friends are their teachers! Chilliwack is a big town now, but we still have small town ties that keep our communities together. I know we can’t keep... Continue reading

  I remember when the Chilliwack mall was built, and the Sheffield plaza was a corn field. This town has changed so much since those days you wouldn’t recognize it now. I used to think, when I was a kid, that Chilliwack was a hole! But then I travelled the world a bit and realized we are truly spoiled to live here. My kids are attending my old high school, and my old school friends are their teachers! Chilliwack is a big town now, but we still have small town ties that keep our communities together. I know we can’t keep this place to ourselves, and thanks to the marvels of social media our little “hole” has been discovered. It seems there are so many people flocking to live here, how on earth can we have bidding wars on houses in Chilliwack??? Anyway the main concern I have for the future is public safety. People don’t realize that if you live on the south side of the freeway and your house is on fire, only 2 firefighters can show up. That’s a fact. We rely way too heavily on our auxiliaries, it’s not fair to them, and it’s not safe for us. Promontory needs its own full time fire hall, and we need a full truck in Sardis, Yarrow, not to mention a full time crew in Rosedale.

  I know I know, fire fighters are expensive. And nobody wants to pay more property tax right? But think about all these new homes being built, all these new dwellings, each one is paying property tax. So believe me the money is there. I’d be willing to shave off some of the parks and Rec budget too if it meant I had a full truck show up to my property fire. Just sayin.
• Share Admit that Chilliwack is no longer a small town on Facebook Share Admit that Chilliwack is no longer a small town on Twitter Share Admit that Chilliwack is no longer a small town on Linkedin Email Admit that Chilliwack is no longer a small town link

  Admit that Chilliwack is no longer a small town

  by NFS, over 4 years ago

  There needs to be more than two ways to Promontory, more major roads out of the city, extend the parallel roads from Abbotsford all the way to Chilliwack so there are more routes off of Hwy1 when there is the inevitable crash. Add more police officers and clean the streets so that people can feel safe. And for the love of all that is holy please add a Costco.

  There needs to be more than two ways to Promontory, more major roads out of the city, extend the parallel roads from Abbotsford all the way to Chilliwack so there are more routes off of Hwy1 when there is the inevitable crash. Add more police officers and clean the streets so that people can feel safe. And for the love of all that is holy please add a Costco.
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  Ryder Lake

  by c_joy, over 4 years ago
  We live in the beautiful mountainous farming community of Ryder Lake. We love the peace and quiet and the beautiful forests and animals. We farm goats That we use for milk and meat and we have a herd of Angus cows. Our LGD protects all our animals which enables us to live happily with wild creatures. Our son is building a home to live here with us and help us farm as we age. We also make lots of small hay bales for sale and to winter our own herds. It is a wonderful life that we hope to pass... Continue reading

  We live in the beautiful mountainous farming community of Ryder Lake. We love the peace and quiet and the beautiful forests and animals. We farm goats That we use for milk and meat and we have a herd of Angus cows. Our LGD protects all our animals which enables us to live happily with wild creatures. Our son is building a home to live here with us and help us farm as we age. We also make lots of small hay bales for sale and to winter our own herds. It is a wonderful life that we hope to pass on to our children. We are attempting to help our son get into the housing market which is crazy in Chilliwack hence we are sharing this land.
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  Less traffic

  by Amanda, over 4 years ago
  We Moved from Langley out to mission because we were looking for property. We found 5 acres eight years ago at a price we could afford, and a house we could rely on as an investment 30 years down the road. Part of our retirement plan.

  
  While that was one factor, we were also looking for less traffic. Langley’s traffic problem even in the late 90s was horrendous and while there are some improvements it is still bad. While my commute has gotten better (I now work and live in mission) my partners is worse it was 35 minutes and... Continue reading

  We Moved from Langley out to mission because we were looking for property. We found 5 acres eight years ago at a price we could afford, and a house we could rely on as an investment 30 years down the road. Part of our retirement plan.

  
  While that was one factor, we were also looking for less traffic. Langley’s traffic problem even in the late 90s was horrendous and while there are some improvements it is still bad. While my commute has gotten better (I now work and live in mission) my partners is worse it was 35 minutes and is now 50 minutes each way to work. More industry will need to come to Mission/Abbotsford in order to improve his commute and employment opportunities.

  
  we chose to move to mission for affordability, traffic, privacy. The schools in mission have a bad reputation I’m hoping that the high school will be okay as my oldest starts soon the elementary schools and middle schools have been great. I hope a new high school is built in the near future and good planning will result in a new high school in the silverdale development before Mission secondary is busting at the seams.

  
  At the time we had to remain in the Fraser Valley due to family obligations. But mission was attractive because it has better air quality than Chilliwack, lower housing costs than Abbotsford and Langley. We knew it was a growing community and it would not have all the services that we would want but it was a sacrifice we were willing to make. I would like more playgrounds, established walking hiking trails, more community programs and safer multi-use roadways.

  I love the mountains and the forests of mission! whatever development plans for silverdale there should be large swathes of greenways and forest left in tact that is managed by our indigenous community partnerships. For both economic and environmental sustainability. Silverdale needs a long term plan that has both high density, and low density that reflects the needs of the environment and the community. For the low density lower property taxes for those who maintain forests and wooded areas. Rather than cleared land.
  
  

  We need to plan for city development long term traffic/busses/trams/ trains or other transit methods. Multiple community hubs that make walking distance an option for daily shoppers. Currently 98% of the residents of mission need to rely on a vehicle/taxi or bus to do their shopping.
• Share Moving eastwards and eastwards for lifestyle and sense of community. on Facebook Share Moving eastwards and eastwards for lifestyle and sense of community. on Twitter Share Moving eastwards and eastwards for lifestyle and sense of community. on Linkedin Email Moving eastwards and eastwards for lifestyle and sense of community. link

  Moving eastwards and eastwards for lifestyle and sense of community.

  by Terry W, over 4 years ago
  I was born and raised in New Westminster, in a time where New Westminster was a bedroom community of Vancouver and Skytrain was not even in the most far-reaching futurist's thoughts. It was a busy community but had a sense of identity with families attending festivals and events and knowing their neighborhoods. The regions were built on the concept of families and jobs being reasonably close by. Workers seldom had multiple-hour daily commutes. Greenspace was plentiful, even if it was not a park, it was vacant or undeveloped areas that held natural buffers to the hectic pace of daily life... Continue reading

  I was born and raised in New Westminster, in a time where New Westminster was a bedroom community of Vancouver and Skytrain was not even in the most far-reaching futurist's thoughts. It was a busy community but had a sense of identity with families attending festivals and events and knowing their neighborhoods. The regions were built on the concept of families and jobs being reasonably close by. Workers seldom had multiple-hour daily commutes. Greenspace was plentiful, even if it was not a park, it was vacant or undeveloped areas that held natural buffers to the hectic pace of daily life. Development was allowed to grow virtually unchecked until the ALR was brought in to conserve farmland and halt the rubberstamping of almost any development proposed. Through all this the concept developed of densification. A wonderful idea that if implemented well, should in theory free up room for community spaces. However, the densification in the case of New Westminster was not well thought out, in return for developer's fees, the city grew vertically, without any amenities and with no thought as to the after-effects. People were packed in like lemmings and with that, cars, visitors, visitors cars and more and more people. Naturally, they build in space for residents' cars in the buildings but imagine hundreds of units and the potential for all the added crowds when friends drove over to visit . Each visitor looking for a parking spot, finding none as the developers and city either did not care or didn't consider it. Spillover went into single-family neighborhoods or wherever a spot to park could be found. Then Skytrain came in, and the commuters were looking for park and ride facilities, where there were few in any . They would park anywhere they could near a bus stop and hop on a bus to get to the station. Residents were greeted by lines of cars on their streets, sometimes creeping over into driveways. Eventually, urban sprawl resulted in New Westminster becoming the parking lot of the lower mainland . I moved my family to Maple Ridge to get away. Life was going well until I saw Maple Ridge start copying the master plan so sadly dropped on New Westminster . I then came to Mission. Here, a sense of community still persists. I can enjoy going out and visiting the local shops without having to listen to a traffic report to plan my route. I can see valleys and mountains without having to circle around high rises and driving to a viewpoint in some select park. I hope that the people here don't follow Maple Ridge and New Westminster in their OCP . We still have a chance to build smartly, creatively, and with an eye to keeping nature close to our hearts.
• Share Designate Stave estuary including Silvermere island as parkland on Facebook Share Designate Stave estuary including Silvermere island as parkland on Twitter Share Designate Stave estuary including Silvermere island as parkland on Linkedin Email Designate Stave estuary including Silvermere island as parkland link

  Designate Stave estuary including Silvermere island as parkland

  by Tracy, over 4 years ago
  

  I have lived in Mission for over 20 years and each year I am blown away by the spawn of wild salmon at the lower Stave river estuary. In addition to the salmon, the wetlands of Silvermere lake, support endangered species including Western painted turtles and hundreds of bald eagles, some of whom nest on Silvermere Island. If the region is going to increase its population, we need to protect biodiversity hot spots such as the lower Stave river including Silvermere lake and Silvermere island. The entire area needs to be designated as conservation area/parkland.

  I have lived in Mission for over 20 years and each year I am blown away by the spawn of wild salmon at the lower Stave river estuary. In addition to the salmon, the wetlands of Silvermere lake, support endangered species including Western painted turtles and hundreds of bald eagles, some of whom nest on Silvermere Island. If the region is going to increase its population, we need to protect biodiversity hot spots such as the lower Stave river including Silvermere lake and Silvermere island. The entire area needs to be designated as conservation area/parkland.
• Share Freeway Congestion is Horrible! on Facebook Share Freeway Congestion is Horrible! on Twitter Share Freeway Congestion is Horrible! on Linkedin Email Freeway Congestion is Horrible! link

  Freeway Congestion is Horrible!

  by JeanK, over 4 years ago
  I moved to Chilliwack 5 years ago and love the area very much. The pace is slower, people are friendly and there are lots of shops & services and outdoor spaces. I have a vehicle so do not take transit and find that getting around the City is not much of a problem. But I have to commute from Chilliwack to Coquitlam & back quite often and I find the freeway almost always backed up. Going west it is usually from Hwy 11 in Abbotsford and onwards, especially the 264th area and coming east it is usually backed up between... Continue reading

  I moved to Chilliwack 5 years ago and love the area very much. The pace is slower, people are friendly and there are lots of shops & services and outdoor spaces. I have a vehicle so do not take transit and find that getting around the City is not much of a problem. But I have to commute from Chilliwack to Coquitlam & back quite often and I find the freeway almost always backed up. Going west it is usually from Hwy 11 in Abbotsford and onwards, especially the 264th area and coming east it is usually backed up between 216th in Langley and Abbotsford Highway 11 and even as far as the No. 3 Road Exit during the summertime. A HOV lane in both directions that goes from 216th to Hwy 11 would certainly help somewhat. It would be better if there was a HOV lane that went all the way to Chilliwack. We also need a sign board to give advance notice when an accident has occurred so we have time to take an alternate route if available - instead of getting stuck sitting on the Freeway with no way to get off.
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  I want to park my car...

  by MM, over 4 years ago
  ... forever if possible. there's nothing that makes a holiday more fun or a community more vibrant than happy crowds of people on the street. Pedestrian malls and walkable business and entertainment districts are where it's at. And trips to the city (pick one, any one, in the lower mainland) are no fun if you have to drive and park and then drive home again. I'm up in Hope and admittedly pretty car dependent but I do take regional transit when I can and I have travelled all the way to YYC on one occasion. It took forever but it... Continue reading

  ... forever if possible. there's nothing that makes a holiday more fun or a community more vibrant than happy crowds of people on the street. Pedestrian malls and walkable business and entertainment districts are where it's at. And trips to the city (pick one, any one, in the lower mainland) are no fun if you have to drive and park and then drive home again. I'm up in Hope and admittedly pretty car dependent but I do take regional transit when I can and I have travelled all the way to YYC on one occasion. It took forever but it was doable and for that I thank the FVRD. Let's really lobby hard and plan for more transit infrastructure. those trains in Mission are cool but they're of minor value in terms of an overall system because of the limited schedule they operate under. I honestly think that rapid transit and local transit options, integrated with biking routes and racks, is the key to a happier healthier, more affordable and greener Fraser Valley culture. I want to live in THAT future.