Industrial land in Metro Vancouver shrinking, says report
Metro Vancouver board chair says cities may need to mix industrial and residential land use
By Maryse Zeidler, CBC News
Metro Vancouver is losing job-creating industrial land throughout the region, says a new report being presented at a regional board meeting on Friday.
Between 2010 and 2015, the region lost 352 hectares of land designated for industrial use, largely to encroaching commercial and residential developments.
“I was shocked and set back,” said Metro Vancouver board chair Greg Moore.
“I know that we see industrial land being used for different purposes these days, but to see that 900 acres of industrial land had been reduced is a little bit concerning to us at Metro and should be to many people across the region.”
Moore, who is also the mayor of Port Coquitlam, says about 275,000 people in Metro Vancouver make a living working on industrial land.
“As we continue to grow as a region, we need to ensure that we keep that employment land for not only our residents today but our residents of the future,” he said, adding about 1.1 million people are expected to move to the Lower Mainland in the next 25 years.
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