Friday, December 01, 2006

Revitalization of Old Haney in Maple Ridge gathers momentum thanks to local property owner, Seiko Huang.

The November 29 2006 edition of the Maple Ridge NEWS published a front-page story which strongly indicates that the revitalization of the long-neglected (it is often referred to as a ghetto) area of Maple Ridge, known as Old haney or Port Haney, is well on the way towards restoration as a key component to life in Maple Ridge.

The plight of Old Haney was the subject of much discussion during the 2004/5 SmartGrowth on the Ground sessions - a series of stakeholder driven workshops and charettes - where 224th street in its entirety was seen as a focal point for bringing life back to the down centre. Since then a number of developers have begun taking advantage of the densification program intitiated by the SmartGrowth on the Ground principles. 18 townhouses were recently completed (and sold out) on Fraser Street in the heart of Haney. A large 100 unit condominium project is udnerway on the east side of Haney on the haney Bypass. The Maple Ridge Historical Society has successfully completed the intitial design of an $8million dollar museum expansion adjacent to Haney House, the key historic building in the area.

The proposed Holiday Inn on 224th Street in the vicinity of Haney House and the new museum will accelerate the much needed revitalization of this key economic and residential area of Maple Ridge. Visitors and residents alike in the very near future will find themselves within walking distance of all the town's amenities and retail stores. In addistion the District has made great strides with its local transport and infrastructure programs which will all combine to help Maple Ridge reach its full potential and prepare itself for the completion of the Golden Ears Bridge in 2009. The phrase 'unprecedented growth' will have to be redefined once Maple Ridge shows its face to the outside world.

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