Need sensible development

Re. NIMBY or wrong location? (Castanet, Nov. 28)

I read this letter with interest because in West Kelowna, we are under the shadow of a similar type situation.

A Vancouver developer is looking to rezone a piece of property located at 2741 Auburn Rd to allow the construction of as many as 500 apartment units.

West Kelowna, as with many other communities across the country, is lacking in affordable housing so developments such as this one are viewed by local government with much interest.

The problem with this particular proposal, like the example in Lake Country, is where it is located.

Specifically, it is directly behind a middle school, Constable Neil Bruce Middle School, which has more than 850 students and staff attending.

The area from Auburn Road to Daimler Drive is very congested at the best of times and as such, has been labeled as "failed" because the amount of traffic attempting to use these thoroughfares exceeds the roadway’s ability to handle it as it stands right now.

Adding as many as 700 or more cars daily to the area is ludicrous.

There have been ideas floated such as building a roundabout at Daimler Drive and Auburn Road. This will do nothing to alleviate the congestion as it is the sheer volume of vehicles that is the problem, not the ability to avoid existing stop signs.

A roundabout would also likely displace at least one family home as it sits on the area where the circle would need to be built.

There are more examples of why this development is not suitable for the area. The point is while development and affordable housing is needed, the areas where they are built need to make sense.

You can't simply build something with the potential for disaster and hope it all works out.

Peter Haslock, West Kelowna