https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/port-coquitlam-bc-child-care-centre-rejected-1.7000188
Stories like this for daycares, apartment complexes and other multifamily housing, etc. are why building things can be so expensive and take so long to build.
Local neighborhoods have way too much veto power to stop things from being built.
"When you see this many people come out and they're this passionate and their concerns are so loud, it's hard to just blow past them," said Coun. Paige Petriw, as she voted against rezoning 1948 Grant Ave.
"We have not had that many people out at a public hearing for quite a long time and I think that says a lot about what is taking place," said Coun. Darrell Penner.
Coun. Nancy McCurrach was even more emphatic.
"When that many people come together, I'm going to listen to them. So I won't be supporting this," she said.
In total, nine members of the public showed up to speak before the Oct. 10 vote. None were in support.
The concerns from residents who showed up generally centred around parking and noise for a residential three-block street in the middle of Port Coquitlam that has no sidewalks.
"Imagine 65 parents dropping off and picking up their kids with their cars throughout the day. It's just going to be complete chaos," said Manraj Buller, who lives a few houses down from the property.
"Zoning bylaws exist so residents can be protected from institutions such as these intruding into our residential neighbourhoods."
Several people also argued it was a poor fit because the nearest playground was a few blocks away and required crossing a busy street.
But four of the nine people who spoke against the project explicitly brought up the potential of decreased property values as a reason for their opposition.
Another person brought up wildlife in the area as a concern.
"There are bears scavenging for food," said the speaker, who did not provide his name. He described it as "a safety issue."
While he voted no, Penner said some of the concerns were unfounded.
"I don't believe property values are going to drop. I don't believe the bears are going to eat the children," he said.
This is why we can't have nice things.