McKee Neighbourhood Plan

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The City of Abbotsford has launched a comprehensive four stage planning process to create the McKee Neighbourhood Plan (MNP). The MNP will develop a vision for a new residential neighbourhood anchored by a neighbourhood centre and will be connected with trails, parks and open spaces.

McKee is a mountainside area known for its open space and trails. The MNP presents an opportunity to integrate homes, schools, parks, trails and environmental amenities into a complete neighbourhood.

View the Background Research Report and stay tuned for upcoming engagement opportunities!



The City of Abbotsford has launched a comprehensive four stage planning process to create the McKee Neighbourhood Plan (MNP). The MNP will develop a vision for a new residential neighbourhood anchored by a neighbourhood centre and will be connected with trails, parks and open spaces.

McKee is a mountainside area known for its open space and trails. The MNP presents an opportunity to integrate homes, schools, parks, trails and environmental amenities into a complete neighbourhood.

View the Background Research Report and stay tuned for upcoming engagement opportunities!



CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.
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    As someone who has ridden frequently at MTB trail networks all over the coastal BC area I'm curious if the City of Abbotsford is looking closely at the economic value that a growing trail network represents for the city going forward. Additionally I should point out that Ledgeview constitutes a high value area for local recreation as well as MTB tourism given its proximity to a large residential encatchment area and just how unique these trails and the network are. It could be said Ledgeview represents the cornerstone of recreation in Abbotsford before Sumas. Younger riders can access this network easily without vehicles and Ledgeview has always birthed a culture of volunteer trail work. This is an opportunity for the city to endorse, not only recreation, but community involvement in a setting that facilitates things far more organically than any urban recreation facility.

    Andrew asked 3 months ago

    Hi Andrew, thank you for your comments. Staff are exploring best practices for integrating mountain biking and hiking trails into the community to see if we can incorporate other municipalities’ successes into the McKee area. As we continue to move through Stage 2 and into Stage 3 of the Neighbourhood Plan we will be having more conversations about trails and the recreational tourism benefit. 

    Cheers.

    Mitch

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    What is the best way to voice concerns over development of this area and the resulting loss of recreational access? Hiking/riding trails in the neighbourhood were a major factor in our moving to this area of Abbotsford and would be an extreme loss not only for individual residents but more-so for the sense of community they have created and maintained.

    Kreffuh asked 3 months ago

    Kreffuh,

    You can always email or give us a call – our contact info is on the right hand side of this page. We are hoping to have an online questionnaire posted here on our Let’s Talk page in the coming months where we will be looking for more specific and targeted feedback on the approach to the Neighbourhood Plan. We will be conducting an analysis of the informal trails on McKee Peak to determine which trails can be kept, which ones will need to be decommissioned, and exploring opportunities for new trails. Sign up for notifications to stay in the loop and participate in our online survey when it goes live. 

    Cheers.

    Mitch

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    I am an avid mountain biker and ride the Ledgeview trails multiple times a week. I am concerned about the potential for losing some of the best trails in the Valley. The data reflects this with how many others are also frequenting these trails, and not just mountain bikers, but hikers, and trails runner of all ages! If you take a look at Trail Forks you can see that 5,441 rides, were logged this last year and that doesn't even account for the trail users (runners/hikers) which would no doubt account for more than half of the overall trail users. https://www.trailforks.com/region/ledgeview/ridelogstats/ This trail network is so integral to the outdoor community and really the overall sense of community in Abbotsford. It would be a shame to see any, let alone all of these trails taken down or developed. In the Background Research Report 1.7 it states that the average age for individuals living in the Mckee area is 49. In the Trail Forks users report the most frequent trails user's age is 30-50. Many of the people who live there chose to because of the proximity to the Ledgeview trails. I imagine developing the mountain at all would threaten the appeal for many individuals to want to live in the area any longer. Vedder Mountain in Chilliwack is a great example of a network that was in a similar predicament just over 10 years ago and was recently in the last few years established as an Interpretive Forest. https://www.fvmba.com/vedder-mountain-establishment-update/ These recreational spaces are so important for the mental health and well-being of communities. Please reconsider these future of housing development plans on Ledgeview. Thank you for you time.

    V-Jackson asked 3 months ago

    Thanks for participating in our Let’s Talk Abbotsford engagement page for the McKee Neighbourhood Plan. We are exploring best practices for integrating mountain biking and hiking trails in the existing and future development in the McKee area. We are currently looking at which of the informal trails will need to be decommissioned (as they are on privately owned developable land), which trails can be kept, and opportunities to build new trails. Please sign up for notifications to stay involved and help shape the McKee Neighbourhood as the project moves forward.

    Cheers.

    Mitch

     

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    As a frequent trail user and nature lover I am concerned about the over development of our recreational areas. A close encounter with a bear yesterday re-enforced my and other trail users worries that the over development is driving wildlife out of their natural habitat at a dangerous pace impacting citizens and animals alike. Please consider this in future land development plans for the area.

    Shane asked 3 months ago

    Shane,

    Not sure if you've seen the Species at Risk/Wildlife section of the Background Research Report (see page 26-29), but we have definitely considered the habitat and movement of wildlife within the Neighbourhood Plan.

    Cheers,


    Mitch



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    Just wanted to voice another concern from a frequent trail user. Just to tell you how impactful these trails on Mckee (and Sumas) are, I moved specifically to Abbotsford in 2015 because, among other reasons, of its proximity to these amazing recreational areas. Developing these beautiful natural recreational areas this day and age makes no sense to me. The city should be jumping at the opportunity to acquire these lands and protect them as they greatly increase the quality of life of thousands of residents, as well as bring tourism and business (think bike shops, coffee shops, grocery stores, etc) for people that come to recreate here. Check out what is happening south of the border in places like Bentonville, Arkansas. Local government has become very involved in the development of mountain biking areas as they are now seeing the big picture and are already realizing the huge economic potential this has, mainly in the form of increased tourism. Abbotsford has similar potential, and I fear becoming a city that develops every square kilometer is not in anybody's best interest in the long run.

    EZ asked 4 months ago

    Thanks for sharing your comments about the trails in McKee. Staff are exploring North American municipalities for best practices for integrating mountain biking and hiking trails into the community, to see if we can incorporate their successes into the McKee area - we'll be sure to keep Bentonville, AR on our list! Currently, in Stage 2 we are looking at which of the informal trails will need to be decommissioned (as they are on privately owned developable land), which trails can be kept, and opportunities to build new trails. As we continue to move into Stage 2 and 3 of the Neighbourhood Plan we will be having more conversations about trails and the recreational tourism benefits. If you haven't already, take a read through the Background Research Report to learn more about the project and our current direction - the map on page 40 should give you a good idea of where future development may occur. Please sign up for notifications to stay involved and help shape the McKee Neighbourhood as the project moves forward.

    Cheers,

    Mitch

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    The data shows how popular the trails are (especially right now). If you take a look at Trail Forks you can see just some of the rides that are logged https://www.trailforks.com/region/ledgeview/ridelogstats/ (many aren't). Options for mountain biking in our area include Ledgeview and Sumas. I am hopeful that the city will work hard to protect the trail systems that have been built and maintained by volunteers. Understanding this is on private land, I am wondering if the city is looking to develop any new trail mountain bike/hiking trail systems to replace the ones that will be lost on Ledgeview?

    erin.chapman asked 4 months ago

    Hi Erin, thanks for your inquiry and for sharing the Ledgeview Trail Usage Statistics from Trail Forks. In Stage 2 of the Neighbourhood Plan process we are conducting an analysis of the informal trails on McKee Peak, which includes these Ledgeview trails (Sumas trails are not within the McKee NP boundary). Recognizing their popularity, we will be looking further into which trails can be kept, which ones will need to be decommissioned, and exploring opportunities for new trails. Sign up for notifications to continue to provide input throughout the McKee NP planning process as we dive further into this topic.

    Cheers.

    Mitch

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    Hello. I am wondering if you are going to be taking and incorporating feedback/input from residents outside of Abbotsford? I do not live in Abbotsford but come out often to use the trails on McKee/Ledgeview as do many others I know. We would all like to have our voices heard as well; these trails are important to us and to the city of Abbotsford.

    asked 4 months ago

    Thanks for your question – we will be creating an online questionnaire on our Let’s Talk website in the coming months that the general public can respond to regardless of where you live. We would encourage you to sign up for notifications so that when the questionnaire is made available, you can provide your input on trails and any other aspects of the Neighbourhood Plan that are of interest to you.


    Cheers.
    Mitch

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    Hi, I am curious as to how you are incorporating the feedback and input of local trail users and residents? I see you have noted engagement with these groups. Will you be considering the feedback around trail use and development as well as maintaining parking and trail access throughout and after development?

    Jenny asked 4 months ago

    Jenny,

    Later this spring or early this summer we will be engaging local trail users and residents to gain valuable feedback about everything associated with trails within the plan area. We will also be asking other land use and infrastructure questions. Please stay tuned!

    Cheers.

    Mitch

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    It would be great to see the City invest in the McKee trails and help support the many volunteers that maintain this area. Are plans in place to accommodate parking for trail visitors? With the popularity of the trails, is the City considering adding new trails in other areas to accommodate users?

    ARoss asked 4 months ago

    ARoss,

    We are in Stage 2 of the planning process and we are currently conducting an analysis of the informal trail system. We are looking at what trails can be kept, what trails will need to be decommissioned due to future development, and what opportunities are there for building new trails. During our land use and transportation analysis we will be exploring the parking situation as we recognize the popularity of the trails.

    Cheers.

    Mitch 

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    Where can I find out more about the 4 specific planning stages? When will the public be asked for input into this plan?

    Rugzy asked 4 months ago

    Rugzy,

    Thank-you for your question. I don't know if you have reviewed the background research report which is located on the right side of the page under Stage 1? If you open this PDF document it will provide you with some good background to the plan and the planning process. Section 1.4 Neighbourhood Plan Process found on page 11 will identify the four stages and will give you more information about public input. Then in Section 6.0 Engagement (found on page 49) this section details our public engagement strategy. However, because of COVID 19 our engagement activities will need to be modified somewhat to follow protocols outlined by the Provincial Government.

    Cheers

    Mitch