City’s process favours developers

DEAR EDITOR:

Re: 655 Ellis Street

I live very close to this proposal. We attended the sham city staff public engagement process. We support the development, but we do not support the alley being the only access point.

Their needs to be access from Ellis Street.

We live in the area daily and we see the problem with this back alley. We watched the city staffer present his view of the 655 Ellis Street project at the meeting of Aug. 16.

The staffer conveniently disregarded all concerns of the public as inconsequential. It was a disgrace to watch.

Comments like, “it is within our bylaws,” so it is dismissed. The city bias towards the builder and ignoring the public is disgusting. It is a sham process and is appears to be pre-decided.

The public is dismissed and the project is promoted like it is the second coming of Noah’s Ark to council. It took less than two minutes to dismiss the public concerns.

Every project goes down the same path. The city pushes hard to promote the project and the public says, “no, here are our concerns.” The city staffer dismisses the concerns by saying, “it is within our building bylaws” and that’s that. Yet the builder wants to go outside the building bylaws with a variance and it’s supported.

The public is forced to accept the building bylaw argument, yet the builder is supported in ignoring building bylaws. The entire process is flawed and extremely bias towards the builder.

You could have a 5,000-unit housing complex come before the city council. The obligation of the city staffers is to notify for public engagement within 100 metres of a project. So, if there are only two houses in the vicinity, that’s the scope of public engagement. If these two individuals support the project, the city staffer will state, “we have 100 % support for project.”

This city council and the city staff promoting this are going to experience a democratic suppository in October elections.

Removal of this council followed by downsizing at city hall.

Ignoring the will of the people will no longer be tolerated. Mike Hawley Penticton