Massive change is afoot for the once cozy beachside community of Tsawwassen.

After a decade in which the satellite community grew by no more than a few hundred people, it’s now expected that 7,000 people will move to the area over the next 15 years.

On top of that, there are shopping-mall developments under way, industrial projects, a new eight-lane, $3-billion bridge being built to replace the Massey tunnel and a proposed $10-billion upgrade at the nearby Roberts Bank terminal.

This has made developers happy, but is causing major concerns for some politicians and residents.

South Delta MLA Vicki Huntington is apprehensive about the long-term impact of port expansion and more industrialization.

“I’m extremely worried,” she said. “We now see huge commercial developers optioning lands in the [Agricultural Land Reserve].

“Does that mean ... we’ll see the collapse of agricultural lands and of migratory bird populations, and the mud flats and uplands damaged? When we look at balancing the economy and the environment, Delta is the balance, so we’d better be really careful about what we do.”

Tsawwassen is situated on a peninsula in Delta’s southeast.

One of the more controversial developments in Tsawwassen is the planned Southlands community of 950 condo units, town homes and cottages with an agricultural theme by developer Century Group.

The development received third reading from Metro Vancouver in May, despite community outcry over loss of agricultural land.

Tsawwassen First Nation plans to build 2,200 homes on its land north of Highway 17 over the next 10 to 15 years (in concert with Aquilini Development and Construction and the Onni Group), drawing up to 5,200 new residents. The first phase of 42 homes in Aquilini’s Tsawwassen Shores will be complete this year.

Then comes a massive 1.8 million-square-foot shopping complex with two malls, Tsawwassen Mills and Tsawwassen Commons, slated to open in the spring of 2016, plus 70 acres of industrial development.

A citizens’ group, Save the Southlands Committee, vocally opposed that development. Of 900 letters submitted to Metro Vancouver, 78 per cent were opposed.

Delta resident Adrian Wightman argued in his submission that Southlands’ high-density development would fragment farmland and imperil food security.

“Southlands represents the first of a series of dominoes,” he wrote. “If this potential agricultural gem is allowed to fall to developers then others will soon follow. The loss of (Tsawwassen First Nation) lands to the bulldozer is something that Delta could not prevent, but enough is enough.”

Delta resident Anna Melara-Wyman told the board the housing developments would cause “traffic gridlock” on already overtaxed local roads such as Highway 17 and 56th Avenue, and put birds and wildlife at risk.

A few residents did favour new growth, among them Bill Sharkey, who welcomed new patrons for local businesses.

“This proposal not only addresses some of the financial needs of our community, but is the most promising proposal for viable and sustainable agriculture on these lands,” Sharkey wrote.

Delta Mayor Lois Jackson said she is excited about the reinvigoration of the community and added her local government was working well with the port and provincial government to manage change and preserve agricultural land where possible.