The City Council of the Canadian city of Burnaby conducted a public hearing Tuesday on a master plan for a development that would include some of the tallest towers in British Columbia. The plan for the Brentwood Town Centre includes 10 residential towers between 20 to 70 stories and two office towers ranging from 30 to 40 stories.

The design also includes a redeveloped commercial center, a 50,000-square foot (4,6000-square meter) food store and a variety of public outdoor spaces..

Some residents expressed concerns about potential traffic congestion and overcrowding. Most speakers who opposed the new construction said they still supported redeveloping the site, but on a smaller scale.

The proposed development could house up to 8,400 people, Lou Pelletier, Burnaby's Director of Planning and Building, told critics. The current population count for Brentwood is 10,000, well under the town plan for the area of 50,000, he said.

The city is working on a transportation plan to deal with traffic issues, according to local media.

The tall-buildings were included to allow more light and space on the site and avoid a clustered development, the designers said. The tallest towers were purposely placed as far from the residential homes as possible.

"Burnaby city staff will compile a report on the hearing, which will go back to council," the Vancouver Sun reports. "Council will then decide whether or not to approve the master concept plan. Following that, each development phase will also go through public hearings before the parcels can be rezoned, and Shape Properties has committed to conducting more consultation with stakeholders and residents as things develop."