Regarding the propsal by the Emerson Real Estate Group to develop up to 300 acres of agricultural land.
I don’t believe we need to question their projection of $4.7 billion and up to 5,000 jobs that this would create.
The real question is whether we want Abbotsford to become another mega-city, and whether we’re willing to pay for it the only way we can, which is keep giving up agricultual land and eventually kiss our love affair with “City in the Country” goodbye.
Can anyone show that the long term “benefits” of such development are anything other than more population, more shopping centres, more subdivisions, more roads, more traffic, higher real estate values, higher property taxes, higher crime rates, etc.?
A few more billion dollars and a few more thousand jobs obviously are not all going to go to the people who already live here.
I think it’s safe to say we have plenty of mega-cities around if we want to know what we are headed for.
What ordinary person today can afford to buy a place in Vancouver and live there?
What makes us think Abbotsford would be any different?
And remember once agricultural land is built up, it is gone forever.
Without a doubt, Abbotsford will be increasingly pressured by these developers in the future, so better brace yourselves.
Richard Kalmbach