Skip to content

'Wake up' Midland before squandering a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'

World-class municipalities 'almost always have a large, outstanding, user-friendly public park on an immediately accessible waterfront,' reader says
2020-07-29 ap
Reader says creating a 'condo development' is the wrong move for Midland Bay Landing. Andrew Philips/MidlandToday

MidlandToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). This letter is in response to a March 25 story titled Midland Bay Landing moves step closer to selecting developer.

Dear Editor,

Though no doubt too late, the pathetic loss of this unique parcel of land seems now inevitable!

Why do Midland and area residents not demand at least some 50 percent or more of this once-in-a-lifetime asset be available for all to use.

As mentioned before, it is absolutely astonishing that the proposed land use is covered with commercial and residential developments for the more affluent and to maximize tax revenue.

The brief reference to ‘public space’ being integrated into the development plan is not reality! There are virtually no open, large, beautiful, natural park areas and waterfront for every day people to enjoy.

The annual vitality of current downtown Midland is generally marginal, leaving negative COVID impacts aside.

What reasoning suggests commercial activity on Midland Bay Landing’s basically “condo development project” will be commercially successful?

Again,I would argue that the citizens of Midland and area demand that town council be bold. Throw out the current Midland Bay Landing Development Corporation and their disgraceful plan while there is still time!

Look at what makes a world-class city. Some of the key factors are almost always a large outstanding, user-friendly public park on an immediately accessible waterfront.Such public areas took vision! Stanley Park in Vancouver did not just happen.

Midland has miserably and systematically squandered those amazing assets in the past.

If the current plan proceeds, as it probably will, Midland and area citizens of today will have allowed more commercialism and lack of foresight to once again dominate the narrow-minded thinking of politicians and their high-priced developers.

Future generations will see more condos, bricks and cement.

Shame on you!

Jim Wilgar
Former Midland Secondary School teacher and area boater