During my time covering city politics around Metro Vancouver, I’ve come to know that homeowners always, always, always demand the same things.
Lower property taxes – the granddaddy of them all.
Streets to be repaved.
Lower speed zones.
New sidewalks.
I’ve heard hundreds and hundreds of these same demands over the years – so many that my eyes just glaze over when I get another email about them.
That last one about sidewalks is something I’ve heard the most about from readers. I’ve spoken to dozens of residents just begging for the city to add sidewalks to their Burnaby streets because of concerns about safety. This is especially true in South Burnaby, which is why council has approved $10 million more to get the city caught up in areas missing sidewalks. (You can read more about this here.)
So it really was a shock to the system when a Burnaby homeowner wrote to me upset that the City of Burnaby was going to actually add sidewalks to his street.
That is definitely a new one.
Fernando Cirillo even called the situation “absurd” and is asking the city to reconsider.
The city recently notified a group of residents about a water main replacement and road rehabilitation project on Blaine Drive between Cliff Avenue and the lane south of Curtis Street in North Burnaby.
Blaine will be “upgraded” with full road resurfacing, sidewalk and boulevard, with work expected to start in spring 2021 or 2022.
Cirillo lives on Blaine, but his wife Jenifer has always live there as her dad had the house built way back in 1966.
“She has basically never left home and she was in tears and livid at the plans the city has for our beloved Blaine Drive,” Fernando said. “On the surface it looks like a great project because it looks like the city is building sidewalks where they have never existed before … (But the) neighbourhood does not need sidewalks or have the cul-de-sac basically removed and reconfigured. It is a waste of Burnaby tax dollars on an unnecessary and unwanted project.”
The Cirillos say they have managed to raise their kids on the street and love it the way it is. They have serious concerns about losing street parking, plus dangerous that will come as the road is narrowed.
The problem, of course, is that this isn’t a cosmetic project by the city – it’s part of what it considers needed infrastructure. For example, many Burnaby Heights residents were upset about heritage cherry trees being cut down on Boundary Road two years ago, but it was part of upgrades to the water mains, something that is necessary to do due to age.
But I feel for the Blaine residents. Even though it was strange to hear someone not want sidewalks, Fernando makes a convincing case. It seems like something that will greatly upset this sleepy neighbourhood.
“Many of us neighbours have already met this past weekend about this crazy, abhorrent, tax dollar-wasting idea for sidewalks and destroying the cul-de-sac,” Fernando said. “None of us want this so-called improvement and we will fight it to the end.”
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
