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Thursday May 24, 2012 Serving Surrey and North Delta www.surreyleader.com
A 560-acre neighbourhood near the Surrey-Langley border has been lauded as a visionary concept that promotes sustainability. Trouble is, illegal suites and sneaky construction have some residents regretting they moved there.
EVAN SEAL / THE LEADER
Jeff Vandermeer is surrounded by coach houses in his East Clayton neighbourhood. The tightly packed homes allow for residential density, a concept that has won designers awards for promoting sustainability. But residents like Vandermeer say not everyone is playing by the city’s secondary suite rules.
The challenge of East Clayton by Kevin Diakiw NEW HOMES, lined up cheek by jowl, face
each other over a short distance, thanks to small front lawns and narrow streets. Surrey’s East Clayton neighbourhood was lauded as an example of visionary community design when it was first unveiled 13 years ago. Patrick Condon, a UBC associate professor of landscape architecture, along
with his team and the public, created the community concept, which was heralded throughout the region as the gold standard for sustainable communities. East Clayton is located north of Fraser Highway, east of 188 Street, south of 72 Avenue and west of the Langley border (196 Street). The 560-acre neighbourhood will eventually be home to 13,000 people. But along with high expectations and cutting edge design, the area is a micro-
cosm of the impact secondary suites are having on neighbourhoods across Surrey. Some East Clayton homes include a secondary suite built to B.C. Building Code standards, while others have coach houses in the back which can be rented. Because of this, designers of East Clayton have won a host of awards for promoting sustainability. That vision is how the community is being sold and it’s why 35-year-old Jeff Van-
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dermeer bought one of the $550,000 homes two years ago. He moved from Vancouver and fell in love with the feel of East Clayton. He’s since learned first impressions can be deceiving. Residents say several independent builders are playing fast and loose with Surrey’s bylaws, installing basement suites after inspection and putting a door leading nowhere on second floors. See DENSITY / Page 10
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