Far too much development

Dear editor: Kelowna City Council votes down the Diamond Mountain development project for mini estates and some in the media see that as evidence that Mayor Basran and his council are not just rubber stamping permits for their friends in the development community.

A cynic might suggest that the supporters of Diamond Mountain don’t fit within the small world that Basran and company govern for — wealthy developers and the tourism industry.

In Basran’s world; there’s not even a hint of shame in gifting a prime waterfront location to a private tourism organization so that they can erect a building in order to sell trinkets to bus tourists. There’s not a hint of angst in approving a sun-blocking building monstrosity that will be 28 storeys taller than any other in the historic city centre neighbourhood — one that even the normally compliant city planning group recommended against.

In Basran’s world you rubber stamp and even encourage height variances for a growing number of downtown soulless grey concrete and glass towers that will house wealthy holiday home types. And on behalf of your benefactors, you aggressively fight a tiny speculation tax that, while flawed, is intended to keep us out of the trap that has made Toronto and Vancouver unaffordable.

What you don’t hear much of from this single-focus council are pre-emptive solutions to the problems created when this uncontrolled flood of new condos and homes are imposed on the city.

Traffic congestion, parking, increased homelessness, drug use and escalating criminal activity. Medical and schooling shortages, shrinking green space and job creation beyond coffee and beer shops for tourists are all problems that require real vision — not the kind of vision that Basran ascribes to himself.

As he gives away the waterfront (and access to the waterfront) in full defiance of the spirit of the Simpson Trust, I can understand the effusive praise he gets from the narrow community he governs for but I don’t understand the relative silence from Kelowna residents who will have to live with this irreversible damage.

We might survive one term with this current council, but I would encourage everyone to go the city hall website and print off the names of the councillors so we don’t mistakenly return any of them in October.

Kelowna is an unparalleled gem, and it deserves governance that is considerate of all of its residents. Vic Pollen

Kelowna