Surrey council approves controversial 2-lane road dividing Hawthorne Park

Surrey city councillors have unanimously approved divisive plans for a two-lane road through a popular park.

Monday's thumbs-up to the new bylaw means removing some of Hawthorne Park's protected status to allow for a new corridor through the green space, a project intendedto reduce congestion on 104 Avenue.

The 105 Avenue corridor project was also designed to lay the groundwork for future light rail plans for the city.

Opponents of the project have said they will chain themselves to the park's trees to stop the road from being built. The park is about 22 hectares in size, and those who've fought to keep it intact say it's home to several species of birds and other types of wildlife.

A staff report acknowledged that moving forward with construction of the road "may be perceived negatively by some residents," but advised the city to publicize changes meantto make the project more attractive.

Those changes include a net two-hectareincrease in the size of the park and $3 million for additional amenities, including new walking paths and wildlife crossings.

Surrey used a piece of legislation from the provincial Community Charter called the Alternative Approval Process to move forward on the project.

That meant in order to block the bylaw, 10 per cent of eligible voters in the city had to sign and submit a response form opposing adoption within a 30-day timeframe. Surrey staff said the opponents failed to meet that threshold, meaning the bylaw could proceed.

Construction on the road could begin early in the new year.

With files from Chad Pawson