McKee Neighbourhood Plan

PL,

In 2016 during the OCP (Official Community Plan) update a concerted effort was made to protect valuable farm land and the greater sumas mountain area by not expanding our current Urban development boundary. During the OCP it was decided that 75% of the growth within the City would take place within existing neighbourhoods, and that is why you see a lot of re-development happening in town. However, there was a limit to the amount of redevelopment that was deemed by the citizens of abbotsford to be acceptable, and so some of the growth within the City was slated for the McKee area. This area will take around 25% of the growth, so it will be much less dense than the areas of the City that are being redeveloped. 

If you look at the Stage 1 Background Reasearch Report that is found under the documents section of the McKee Let's Talk page, you will find that staff has taken a lands based approach for the McKee area and has sensitively examined which lands within McKee can be developed and which lands need to be proctected due to senior government legislation and Council Policy. In Chapter 4 (Net Area) there is a break-down showing the areas that can be developed, and the areas that will be protected. You will notice that a good percentage of the pristine natural environment will be proctected. The area that will end up being developed will be built in a less dense manner and will be built in the form of single family homes and townhouses.  

Cheers

Mitch

If you navigate to the bottom right hand corner of the McKee NP page, and look in the Documents section there is a document titled 'Background Research Report'. Click on the text and a detailed Stage 1 document will open, and within it you will find a map outlining the plan area.

Cheers

Mitch

We will be looking at land use during Stage 2 of the planning process and at that time we will be examing what types of housing will be appropriate for this mountain neighbourhood. However, with our Urban 4 -detached OCP land use, most of the housing will be ground oriented (ie. Single family, rowhouse, Townhouse, or duplex). However, this being said, thank-you for your suggestion, we'll examine the need for Seniors housing.

Cheers.

Mitch

I would suggest that during Stage 2 and 3 of the planning process that you become involved in the community engagement opportunities. During stage two we will be working towards a land use concept for the overall neighbourhood so you will get an idea of the overall design of the neighbourhood. Then in Stage 3 we will be looking at details such as road cross-sections, and that will determine speed limits and how the roads will be configured (ie. adding bike lanes etc.). My guess would be that with more population and more active transportation being provided in the area speeding would come down, and so would some of the noise. Please sign up for regular updates through the Sign-up Speak up button on the McKee Np page to be informed of upcoming engagement opportunities.

Cheers.

Mitch.

At this point of the planning process, the future classification of Harvest Drive is unknown. However, during Stage 2 work we will be looking at road alignments for all Collector function roads, and I would include Harvest Drive in this assessment as it will connect two different properties. Then in Stage 3, when have a preferred land use concept we will undertake a comprehensive traffic impact assessment (TIA), and the road classifications and traffic volumes will be determined. So in essence, we will know the traffic volumes and classifications of roads in Stage 3 of the planning process.

Thanks.

Mitch

During Stage 2, we will be looking at designing collector road alignments for the entire plan area, as a number of new roads will need to be constructed in the future. However, to further answer your question, in Stage 3 a full Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) will be conducted to make sure we have the road network designed to handle the proposed traffic volume generated from the projected population increase to the area. This TIA will look at all the existing roads you mentioned above, and if upgrades are required, we will account for the necessary upgrades.

Thanks for the question.

Mitch

Yes, Auguston Parkway East will eventually be connected to Sumas Mountain Road, and will be the second entrance/exit for Auguston.

Mitch

The difference between parcels identified as 'Urban Zoning and Subdivision' and 'Urban Zoning' is that Urban Zoning parcels only have Urban Zoning in place, while Urban Zoning and Subdivision parcels have Urban Zoning as well as the parcel has been subdivided or is in the process of being subdivided.

Cheers

Mitch

During Stage 2 of the planning process, City Planning staff will create a number of land use concept options that will explore land uses such as schools, parks, and where a fire hall could be located. We will then seek feedback on these concept options from stakeholders and residents, and then we will take that input and create a preferred concept. Then in Stage 3, the engineering team will conduct a complete modelling analysis of all the infrastructure systems for the preferred concept that will accomodate for the projected population increase.

Cheers

Mitch

Stages 2 through 4 should take approximately 18 months to complete. However, this is a best case scenario and depending on input from stakeholder and public engagement the timeline could take longer.

Thanks.

Mitch