Leave the greenspace alone
Open letter to mayor and council:
It has come to my attention through newspaper articles (i.e., Yukon News, Friday, March 5th, Bye Bye, Boswell Birdies, and also by word of mouth) that the mayor and city council are planning to develop a condominium complex on the parkland between Boswell Crescent and Firth Road.
1) The area between Boswell Crescent and Firth Road was designated “greenspace” in the original Riverdale Community Plan, which was professionally developed by Central Mortgage and Housing, adopted by the city, and has worked well since its inception. City maps show these green areas as parkland/greenspace. This was the covenant when residents purchased their properties. Looking at the long-range picture, the CMHC Plan is successful and Riverdale subdivision has given the city no grief and is not expensive to maintain.
Please, leave it alone. Doing it piecemeal courts disaster.
Riverdale is not zoned future development such as is the case in Porter Creek.
2) The primary reason the city is looking to develop more housing in Riverdale is because every greenbelt has access to sewer and water, which translates to every bit of greenbelt being nibbled at and taken over for housing development, robbing us of our readily accessible parklands.
3) The mayor and city council cannot arbitrarily, nor is it their prerogative to, change the zoning in Riverdale to accommodate additional housing development.
4) It is of prime importance that the citizens of Riverdale subdivision have the right for a chance to have a say in any major change that may occur in their district.
5) Holding to democratic policy, a plebiscite or referendum is in order. Do it right.
Finally, April 1st is the deadline to get your opinion in to the city.
Sophie Partridge
Whitehorse