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Mission needs a shopping mall

Editor, The Record:

I recently visited Lougheed Mall. I have shopped there in the past and found it clean, bright and cheery.

I was amazed that on this gloomy, rainy day, that this mall was packed with shoppers. As I drove home, I pondered. Abbotsford has a mall. Langley has a mall. Coquitlam and Burnaby have malls. What is wrong with Mission?

Look around us in this community. Where do we shop? Not in Mission. There are a few stores here, but for diversity you have to drive to another city.

Why do we not have sufficient shopping in Mission? Small little strip malls just don't cut it. First Avenue in Mission is a drag strip, speeding cars jockeying for position between lumber trucks and delivery vans. Parking is almost non-existent. And pedestrians take their lives in their own hands trying to cross the streets.

This is a beautiful community that is growing leaps and bounds. New families, new subdivisions and no shopping. I know some are worried about the urban sprawl, but get real. This is nothing but a glorified bedroom community.

It would be wonderful to be able to drive downtown to a shopping area instead of driving over the bridge to Abbotsford or down the highway to Maple Ridge.

I think it is time for Mission council to get moving forward with the building of the waterfront area. This is nothing but wasted space.

A great shopping pier and floating restaurant will have people traveling here to enjoy the view and stay to shop and put money in Mission instead of elsewhere.

Sharon Anderson

Mission