Mayor Robertson & Members of Council
City of Vancouver
453 West 12th Ave.
Vancouver, BC
V5Y 1V4
Dear Mayor and Council:
I am writing to comment on Motion B.6, the temporary stadium slated for Empire Field, which has been referred to the Planning and Environment Standing Committee meeting tomorrow at 2 pm.
I am disappointed and disheartened that council is instructing city staff to begin a public consultation process only after the decision to build a stadium at Empire Field has already been made. I have heard from many residents in my community who have expressed their extreme dissatisfaction with the lack of community consultation on this issue. The process would have been better served - and more credible - had a consultation been completed prior to the decision being made.
Unfortunately, the decision to build a temporary stadium at Empire Field has been presented to our community as a fait accompli, compounding the existing frustrations residents feel after council's recent decision to approve the flawed Hastings Park Master Plan over many legitimate community concerns.
I am requesting that council ensure a full community consultation on the use of the new facility, particularly activities other than BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps games, and commit to developing a full community mitigation plan in co-operation with residents around the noise, traffic, and light issues that will inevitably arise.I further request that council commit to the site being fully restored to its current condition, or upgraded with the co-operation and support of the community, after the 2010/2011 BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps seasons end.
I look forward to an outcome that takes into account the many concerns and voices of the residents of Vancouver Hastings.
Sincerely,
Shane Simpson, MLA
(Vancouver-Hastings)
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