Greater heights and more park space

With the 42 acre site of the former Safeway distribution centre in the Edmonds area up for sale, the arguments for a few taller versus several shorter residential buildings is already building up (pun intended) even before the site has been sold.

In response to this issue, the following letter supporting taller buildings in order to set aside more park space was written to the Vancouver Sun by Michael Cox:

Burnaby should plan for skyscrapers with park lands

BY MICHAEL COX, VANCOUVER SUN JUNE 28, 2011

Re: Safeway's proposed towers don't jibe with Burnaby vision, June 24

The redevelopment of the former Safeway distribution centre in Burnaby is "one of the largest pieces of undeveloped urban land" in the region and it could and should be a showcase for green living.

Neither Safeway's plan, which calls for several highrise towers as well as townhouses, nor the City of Burnaby's requirement that heights be restricted to four storeys, shows imagination.

What if Burnaby and Safeway were to develop two or three 50-to 70-storey towers, surrounded by parkland, rather than the typical sprawl of lowrise buildings?

Along with the reintroduction of greenery, there would be energy savings, especially if the project used passive solar heating, or geothermal exchange heating and cooling.

Burnaby already has many highrise nodes around transit centres. Why go backward; why waste land?

Michael Cox

Vancouver

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

The argument for taller buildings has merit, especially if the saved space is used for park and recreational space that will come under increased pressure from an ever-increasing population.  With high rise developments popping up around the Brentwood area and increasing numbers of people giving up on the idea that they need to own their own private outdoor space in the form of a yard, park space located in close proximity is not only a good idea, but essential in ensuring that we create healthy communities with access to quality outdoor park and recreational facilities.