Charlottetown resident Janet Marshall wrote to City Council concerning the Upton Farmlands. She received neither acknowledgement of her letter nor any answers to her questions. So, she wrote back. Janet has given us permission to use her letters on this website. They are an excellent template to use when addressing Council on this issue. Please consider following Janet’s lead if you can.
March 2, 2007
Dear Mayor Lee and Councillors:
This week I attended the town hall meeting to address concerns with regard to the development of the Upton Farm Lands. There were well over 50 people in attendance and not one person was in favour of the development. Many expressed concerns of the recent decision by City Council to go ahead with approval for this development when there are still many questions to be addressed.
Some of the concerns expressed at the meeting included:
- no report back to the public about the traffic study;
- no environmental impact studies have been done;
- it has been a year since the last public meeting and many feel that they have not been kept informed of what is going on with this development nor have they had an opportunity for further input;
- litttle opportunity for public input or response to the traffic study report;
- many people who live in the area expressed concern for the increased volume of traffic that will be generated by this development.
I attended this meeting because I often go to the Upton Farm to walk with my dog as it is one of the few remaining areas close to Charlottetown where one can walk one’s dog off lead. Also, I am concerned about whether the City has an overall plan for the future development of Charlottetown that includes adequate green space as part of the equation.
I am in support of maintaining Upton Farms as a public green space.
Perhaps City Council should look at all the land around the city and see what is presently slated for development re: housing and whether it is really necessary to sacrifice Upton Farms too? With so many empty buildings downtown perhaps City Council should look at how these properties can be developed to get more people living downtown and thereby reducing urban sprawl which seems to be happening at a rapid pace all around the edges of Charlottetown.
I would like to know if you are for or against this development and if you are for it, why.
I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Janet Marshall
After several days of silence from City Hall, Janet followed up with this:
Dear Mayor and City Councillors:
On March 2, 2007 I sent you [a] letter with regard to the Upton Farm Lands. To date I have not heard back from any of you, not even an acknowledgement that you received my letter, let alone a response to my question. I am hoping to hear from you soon in this respect as I think this is an important issue facing the citizens of Charlottetown and the Island.
I plan to follow up with a phone call soon to discuss the matter with you.
Will Janet have to call City Hall? Or will she receive a reply from the Mayor or Councillors? We’ll keep you posted!
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