Complex survives surprise attack
Councillor springs surprise motion to stop proposed seniors complex on Banks Crescent
SUMMERLAND — Following a surprise attempt Tuesday to kill the proposed Banks Crescent project, council supported holding a public hearing at a yet-tobe determined date.
During discussion of the project report submitted by director of development services Dean Strachan, Coun. Toni Boot made a motion to deny the application by the Lark Group to amend the Official Community Plan and rezone the property. “I am philosophically opposed to the project. It is the wrong development in the wrong location,” she said.
She explained that she didn’t think more information would change her mind and that it was unfair to ask Lark to continue spending money obtaining information requested by council.
Admitting he was caught by surprise, Coun. Doug Holmes seconded the motion. He said that more information would likely create more questions and that council would never get quite what it wanted.
“I don’t think it is possible for staff or Lark to get the information we are asking for,” he said.
Coun. Janet Peake said she would have great difficulty denying the application at this time.
“We don’t want to send this (message) out to developers that we have not completed the process. It would be a disservice to the community,” she said.
“We have moved a long way and are close to having enough information,” Mayor Peter Waterman said.
Coun. Erin Trainer said a public hearing should be held as soon as possible and that Coun. Richard Barkwill, who was not at the table Tuesday, should be present for such an important decision.
“We owe it to the developer to follow this through. We asked them to follow a process, so we should too,” said Coun. Erin Carlson.
She also said that if the project is stopped because the third-party review now being undertaken concerning the water source to the fish hatchery is negative, then at least “we won’t be blind-siding the developer.”
Peake said that her 22 years in community service has taught her the importance of following process even though doing so can take considerable time.
Boot’s motion was defeated 4-2 with Boot and Holmes casting the two votes in support.
In a letter dated Nov. 2, the Lark Group requested that council set a date for the statutory public hearing.
Staff recommended that a date not be scheduled for a date prior to the receipt of the report of the third-party review of Lark’s aquifer protection strategy and until negotiations regarding amenity contributions have been finalized.
Strachan said the review report should be available for the Dec. 11 council meeting.
In response to Trainer’s question about the timeline for amenity contributions, Strachan said – without specifying a date – that they would be brought back to council for final consideration.
At the end of the meeting, Doug Wahl, a professional biologist, cautioned council that Lark’s proposal to monitor turbidity in the aquifer and spring fed by the aquifer is not a protection strategy.
There should be a risk assessment and a plan of what to do if turbidity does occur, he said.
The third-party review is being conducted by Golder Associates, Strachan replied in answer to Wahl’s question of who was doing the review.
“It is important the engineer (doing the review) has experience with near surface aquifers,” Wahl said.
The project calls for five buildings with 230 units of market housing for seniors, 100 units of independent living and 50 units of assisted living, according to the Summerland website.
“The concept is to allow seniors to age in place and move to different sections of the development as they age and require greater levels of care,” the district says.