Fairies, Ogres and Trolls 

While everyone thinks of the shorelines of Crescent Beach and White Rock as being the gem of the Semiahmoo peninsula, there is a very magical forest here that should be considered the hidden gem.  It is Redwood Park, located at 17900 20 Ave. overlooking the Hazelmere valley in south Surrey that Trip-advisor rates as the number two thing to do is Surrey, after Crescent Beach of course.  If you have not been there, it's a magical place with a wide assortment of trees including the largest grove of redwoods north of California.  The following is an edited version of the City of Surrey's listing for this special and historical park.

Boasting a large forest of exotic trees, over 5 kilometres of scenic natural trails, a wheelchair-accessible playground and several rustic picnic shelters, the park has something for everyone to enjoy.  The sloping lawn next to the parking lot is the perfect place to play!  Enjoy the all-access playground and picnic shelters year-round from dawn until dusk. In the winter, the hills in the park are great for sledding.  Head further west to explore a peaceful forest of tall trees, many of which can't be found anywhere else in Surrey.  Enjoy the 4 picnic shelters in Redwood park that are available on a first-come, first serve basis.  

The unique forest found at Redwood Park is a legacy of Peter and David Brown, twin brothers born to one of Surrey's earliest pioneering families. In 1893, their father gifted them this large plot of land, logged and ripe for farming.  However, the brothers instead filled the vast space with their favourite trees from all around the world including a grove of Sierra Redwoods, the tallest tree species in the world.  Fully committed to their forest sanctuary, the eccentric duo built a tree house where they lived in solitude until their deaths in 1949 and 1958.  Today, a replica of their tree house stands in the centre of the park.

What they do not mention but what appears in many articles is the "fairy forest" in the middle of the upper grove.  It consists of small fairy houses, painted bright and whimsical where fairies live in the trees.  This area is very popular with families and their children, with plenty of interesting houses that have obviously been created by many different people.  How this all started remains a mystery but it is a tradition that has continued for years.  The numbers of fairy houses ebbs and wanes with winter weather taking a toll on this magical place.  When they fade, rot, or break down, they are removed and newer versions suddenly appear.  It's a fun art project that is not sanctioned, not advertised, but something that is loved by many. 

Here is a "Fairy Kingdom" review from Fun in Vancouver:  

Magic dances through the timbers of Redwood Park in Surrey.  A mystical knoll awaits discovery down a wooded path.  When you look through the trees and spot dashes of colour, you are nearing the Fairy Kingdom.  Whimsical, kind-hearted, fun-loving folk have created dozens of fairy homes.  Some are grand and others are sweetly simple.  Many of the homes have been created by children.  Some of the homes are merely doors built into the base of trees.  If you are looking for an after-school adventure or wish to escape the heat of the summer, the dense woods are wonderfully cool and packed with adventure. 

Unfortunately if you have fairies, chances are you have ogres and trolls and it would seem that these are alive and well at Redwood Park.  The last of the fairy houses have recently been smashed into pieces and left as garbage in the woods.  When I was there on the weekend, I only found a few that had survived this wanton destruction.  Why somebody would want to destroy such an enchanting place so popular with families and children is beyond me.  This is not the only damage as several of the cedar trees have been debarked high up their trunks, killing them.  I cleaned up what I could and am hoping that these tiny fairies will return and start rebuilding their colony that is a bright spot in a park full of towering evergreens.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

https://www.surrey.ca/parks-recreation/parks/redwood-park

Workshop: Senior Driving

What are you doing to reduce your risk and improve your driving? Assess your driving skills and habits. Update your knowledge of vehicle safety features and road regulations. 

• Tuesday, March 31

• Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

• Location: White Rock Community Centre, 15154 Russell Avenue

Registration

• Sign up online

Co-sponsored with White Rock Community Policing, the RCMP and the Semiahmoo Community Safety Society.

The City of Surrey has launched an innovative digital compliance tool designed to streamline the residential plan review process. eCheck provides rapid, automated reviews of building plans to help home designers identify potential zoning compliance issues before submitting a formal building permit application. This tool is now available for all residential home designers. 

“The launch of eCheck marks a major step in modernizing how we support home designers and applicants,” said Ron Gill, general manager of planning & development. “By leveraging technology, we’re improving efficiency, reducing delays, and making it easier for applicants to navigate the permitting process.” 

How eCheck is expected to make home building faster:

“We’re thrilled to partner with the City of Surrey to support their development objectives using Archistar,” said Joe Philbrook, vice president of customer at Archistar. “By automating newly defined houseplex design compliance reviews, we’re helping the City accelerate housing delivery for Surrey residents.”

The City is rolling out eCheck in phases beginning with single family homes, coach houses, garden suites, duplexes and houseplexes for R3 zones, with expansion to additional zones in the coming months. This approach ensures designers and homeowners can quickly benefit from faster, more accurate permit reviews.

To learn more about eCheck, visit our website. 

Staff writer DON PITCAIRN this past week pondered future land usage in Crescent Beach and Ocean Park.  I have to admit with my plate very full with White Rock development's future I have not paid close attention to what our neighbours to the north have been up to.  Oh don’t get me wrong, on my rather infrequent trips to Whalley I am constantly blown away at the number of highrise towers that have popped up over the years.  There never seemed to be a huge public push back on the densification of Whalley.  For years Whalley which at one time was a major town centre in Surrey, had devolved into triple x video stores, rundown bars, thrift shops etc.  It pained me to see my hometown become the butt of too many Surrey Jokes.

Regarding development in Ocean Park & Crescent Beach, I learned first hand a number of years back in the 80's when I lived tucked away in the forest on Dogwood Drive. I would come home from work and often I would find a handwritten note in my mailbox urging me to come to a community dinner/gathering to discuss sometimes an item as simple as how high a neighbour could erect a fence. For years there was NO development in the Ocean Park area, they were beyond organized and concentrated on having their opinion heard on any future development. For instance the little strip mall where the pet food, Dude's coffee shop and Beef and Brine is located was delayed for years.

Of interest in PITCAIRN’S article was the fact Surrey had not overhauled its OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN OCP for 12 years.  Not since 2014 has the city of Surrey made any significant changes in their OCP.  By provincial law every city must “review” its Official Community Plan.  That can be as simple as pulling it out of the virtual file having a look at it, agreeing nothing needed tweaking and put it away for another 5 years.

Conversely here in little old White Rock with each change of council (every 4 years) the majority of the council of  the day has decided the rip up the previous councilor’s  OCP  and rework to fit their vision, and the vision of their supporters.

The current reworking of White Rock’s OCP has now been driven in part by the Provincial government issuing density numbers for each city to attain.  Very difficult for a city with 22.000 residents packed into 2 square miles.

We have been working through creating a new OCP that each council member must weigh their version of what the residents and or political backers would like to see.  Recently councillor ANTHONY MANNING called for a reworking of some densification of the proposed Official Community Plan that was created by staff, consultants input, residents feedback and the inherent vision of individual council members.

The call for another round of public input was met with questioning by members of council.  I have to admit I somewhat bristled when my fellow councillor ELAINE CHEUNG proclaimed we were reworking our OCP based on such a small percentage of resident’s feedback?  I bristle because if and when we ask resident’s what their opinion is, we should very seriously take it into consideration.  To that extent if we want to talk about percentages, over 85%  of the respondents in the community via email or in person participation said NO to densification anywhere other than along North Bluff.  That is exactly what staff has been reworking and it will be presented to council on March 30.  If the majority of council follow councillor MANNING’S lead there will be another legislated Public Hearing before final adoption.

If you care, we are giving you another golden opportunity to be heard.

Believe it or not, we are listening.

Editor/Publisher 

White Rock Councillor

David Chesney