Building 101: How to sway town council

Editor:

Attention all developers: A step-bystep guide on how to get planning approved in Peachland

This is in response to Mr. B. Robinson, a U.K. property developer and a visitor to Peachland who could not believe that such an oversized development, referring to the Peachtree Village proposal on Beach Avenue, would ever be approved by a responsible town planner or council. Well, this is how it works:

1) Developer approaches Peachland Chamber of Commerce and council to seek approval for initial plans, donating to local charitable organizations along the way.

2) Chamber and charitable organizations on board, actively lobby local planners to support the application, at which point it will not matter how it conÁicts with the recommendations of OCP and continue to wine and dine those organizations of note to ensure their ongoing full support.

3) Pretend you are also listening to local residents concerns at public open houses.

This is now a proven strategy as the majority of supporters speaking at the public meeting in June were members of an assortment of local organizations, and all of whom I understand, live nowhere near the development.

Despite, this the motion was almost unanimously passed. Of course, as luck would have it, the residents who were really affected by this monstrous development were literally bailing out their homes due to Áooding, so we’re not in a position to organize themselves with an effective opposition campaign.

As in Monopoly, you can then collect the money and ‘Go,’ leaving the local residents to have to live with this multi storey in (the words of the counselor) ‘eyesore.’ R. Evans, Peachland