Friday, December 2, 2011

McBurney Lane

A while back, I posted about proposed improvements to McBurney Lane in Downtown Langley. Right now McBurney Lane, an aging pedestrian plaza, is cut off from Douglas Park by an ugly parking lot. The design of the new plaza is meant to connect the lane to the park, creating a greenway of sorts between Langley's high-density residential area and walkable commercial core.

Some in the business community are upset because the 21 stall parking lot will be removed and oppose the McBurney Lane redesign. The irony is that the City will actually be increasing parking in this plan. Even with the removal of the parking lot, there will be a net gain of 4 parking spots nearby. At the end of the day, Downtown Langley should be trying to attract the people that live in the City's high-density core which is within walking distance. The Langley Bypass is already serving the regional market.

The new McBurney Lane will help create a sense of place and attract more people to Downtown Langley than the ugly parking lot.

Proposed Design of McBurney Lane. Click Image to Enlarge.
McBurney Lane, South. Click Image to Enlarge.
McBurney Lane, North. Click Image to Enlarge.

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