A public information meeting about the proposed Abbotsford Tech District (ATD) on Sumas Mountain takes place Wednesday, Nov. 29.
The session runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Auguston Traditional Elementary at 36367 Stephen Leacock Drive. The public can learn more about the project, ask questions, make suggestions and share their feedback with the ATD and the City of Abbotsford.
The Tech District is now in the public consultation phase of an Official Community Plan amendment to enable future development of a 140-acre mixed-use community and innovation hub.
The tech district – which the developers, Auguston Town Development Inc., have described as “Abbotsford’s Silicon Valley” – is a proposed community in the McKee Peak area of Sumas Mountain.
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The ATD has been in the planning stages for several years after the first proposal – We Town – was rejected by city council in 2019.
The developers say the ATD could include a centre for innovation and food security; spaces for start-ups, entrepreneurs and post-secondary institutions; complementary commercial and professional services; thousands of new homes; and farm-to-table restaurants and coffee shops.
At a presentation to city council in April of this year, ATD chief strategy officer Gavin Dew said the project will “inject billions of dollars in private-sector capital investment toward affordable housing, high-quality local education and well-paying jobs.”
The OCP amendment is expected to come before council sometime next year.
The ATD is not part of the McKee Neighbourhood Plan adopted by council earlier this year.
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