Homes Bordering Ledgeview?
By JOE MILLICAN
Abbotsford News
Feb 12 2005

Whether it's trails linking city-owned properties, major construction at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club or an 80-acre park at McKee Peak, the City of Abbotsford is proposing some major changes in the east.
A plan to run a residential development along the east side of the city-owned golf course is currently with city staff. According to city economic development officer Jay Teichroeb, this would form part of a "three-tier" plan that would also seek to create a new clubhouse at the site and improve the course itself.
Details are still being worked out, Teichroeb said, adding the development could be "real exciting" if it comes off. "The next step is to stimulate some concepts within the private sector and decide what kind of proposals might come in terms of meeting the needs of the city and the club," Teichroeb added.
The Ledgeview development could provide trailways, Teichroeb explained, linking the course to Clayburn Village and a redeveloped McKee Peak.
The latter is also progressing nicely, Teichroeb said, pointing out the City of Abbotsford now has a consulting team that will assist in an overall plan for the highest point in the city's urban boundary.
McKee Peak currently includes approximately 730 hectares of of forested and mountainous land.
Most of the area has been set aside for residential development in the city's Official Community Plan, although the city's Parks and Recreation Master plan, approved last June, also commits the city to the creation of a "major destination park" of at least 80 hectares.
A public information meeting was held Tuesday, and the feedback from that will be considered by the city in deciding how to proceed.
A second public information meeting is scheduled for the end of March.
"One of the reasons we have the destination park in there is that we see tremendous public and community value in having that space to provide people with spectacular vistas of the area," Teichroeb said. "It is always a matter of balance between community interests and that of property owners."
The redevelopment plan may not be popular with everyone, particularly hikers and mountain bikers who use the range of routes.
In a letter to Abbotsford Mayor Mary Reeves, avid mountain biker Andrew Gower writes that when he first started biking at McKee Peak in 1996, there was "considerably more trails than now."
"I must admit that I am greatly saddened by the direction the city has gone in allowing development to continue almost unchecked in this area," Gower stated. "Has the use of mountain bikers and walkers over the past 15 to 20 years even been considered?"
Teichroeb, however, suggested mountain bikers and hikers should not be using the 730 hectare area anyway. "The reality is that mountain bikers are currently biking on private property," he said.
"As the area evolves and is completed, public property will be available for a range of different uses that may or may not include mountain biking. Right now, they (mountain bikers) are trespassing."