West Southlands Residents Association
Neighbourhood News
HIGHBURY INTERCEPTOR
The Highbury Interceptor sewer main runs through Musqueam Park; we walk on top of it along the trail that goes from the bottom of Alma down to the River. An Interceptor Air Management Building (photo above) was installed in Musqueam Park along the sewer line in 2019.
​Recently, some residents have noticed a sewage stink coming from the building. Our co-chair, Linda Jinks, contacted MetroVancouver about this. They replied "Understanding how well the system performs relies good quality feedback. We recently upgraded the instrumentation to help with this but feedback from local residents about location, day, time & description of any odours observed is of high value." They asked that we register our complaints on the following website or by phoning 604-436-6777.
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IONA TREATMENT PLANT
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The Highbury Interceptor takes Vancouver sewage to the 60-year-old Iona Treatment Plant on the south side of the Fraser. Work is underway on a $10-billion upgrade of the plant from primary to tertiary treatment.
Barges may be used to haul away dirt during construction; they would replace 250-500 dump truck trips/day. Three barge berth sites are being studied. People who live across from the proposed barge sites near Deering Island and near Musqueam have concerns about potential noise, light, and particulate exposures.
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BRIDGE REPLACEMENT
The bridge along the 48th Avenue path near Crown has been replaced and is looking very heavy duty!​​​
ANNUAL MEETING NOTES
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NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS
2022 Dec Newsletter ( 简讯ä¸æ–‡ )
2022 August Newsletter ( 简讯ä¸æ–‡ )
2021 Dec Newsletter ( 简讯ä¸æ–‡ )
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TRAFFIC CONTROL
In June 2023, the City made 51st Avenue safer by lowering its speed limit to 30 km/h, installing speed humps, and repainting the crosswalk at the Wallace Trail.
We are still advocating for the speed limit to be reduced to 30 km/h everywhere in the neighbourhood. City Council passed a motion in winter 2024 asking staff to look at 30 km/h speed limits along all neighbourhood streets.
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SOUTHLANDS SCHOOL
In February 2024, a traditional Musqueam Housepost by Brent Sparrow was raised at Southlands Elementary School, the catchment school for many children in our area.
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CHANGES AT THE AIRPORT
NavCan is planning changes to airport flight paths meant to reduce noise and plane emissions using sophisticated navigation technology. A public information & consultation process was completed in 2023. Information to date suggests it will not affect our neighbourhood.
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VANCOUVER PLAN
(photo credit: Werner Bayer, Flickr)
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The Vancouver Plan, a 30-year City strategy was adopted in 2022. As part of the Plan, in 2023, the City approved new zoning to allow "missing middle housing" in all residential areas.
In keeping with the plan, some of the new housing being built in West Southlands are duplexes: on 50th and on Alma. There is an existing multiplex on Holland.
New R1-1 zoning allows 4 units on every 33-ft lot and 6 units on every 50 to 66-ft lot. There may be exceptions that affect our neighbourhood: homes with designated heritage status; and lots in a designated floodplain. Here is a guide.
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FLOOD PREVENTION
Recent planning work has included a geotechnical field investigation along the Wallace St. trail (April 2024) and a detailed topographical survey done by the City to identify areas of flood risk (summer 2023). This is part of the ongoing follow-up of our neighbourhood after the extreme rainfall of November 2021. Work on some drainage issues on 49th west of Dunbar is planned for early 2024.
Other measures have included​
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drainage fixed at Collingwood & 49th, Alma & 48th, 49th east of Dunbar, 50th west of Dunbar
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Dunbar, Blenheim, and Carrington tide gates have been replaced or refurbished
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ditches cleaned & dug deeper
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curb inlets installed to control runoff across Marine Dr
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pumps are placed at foots of Wallace, Celtic & Carrington for the fall & winter seasons
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catch basins checked & cleared
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frequent neighbourhood checks during heavy rains & high tides
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repair to the north ditch on 49th west of Dunbar will be done by a private contractor when the Sanitary Pump Station there is being replaced
简讯ä¸æ–‡
The newsletter is posted also in Chinese, translated by director Cynthia Fung.
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