Development violates bylaws, common sense

Editor: When Peachland council passed third reading on the Peachtree Village development proposal, they abandoned their commitment to provide law, order and good government to engage in a development binge, hoping to generate desperately needed tax revenues to pay some nasty bills that continue to accumulate as they have abandoned the Official Community Plan and common sense.

Infill development in the downtown area must be done as defined by the Beach Avenue Neighbourhood Plan. It is a well thought out and researched document that will protect our downtown area.

The massive Ponderosa project is a huge monkey on the back of a small administration, and requires a lot of hard work to make sure the city is in the driver’s seat of this development.

Peachland is not ready to tackle an $18million dollar water-treatment plant, let alone a massive $55.4-million water master plan. And the Monaco project with no access and no water must be put on ice for many years.

When council voted 6-1 to abandon the OCP, not only were they violating some of our bylaws, they also violated the spirit and intent of the OCP as an important development template, and defied people’s democratic rights to determine how they want their city to grow and develop. To abandon that sets a radical and unacceptable precedent.

The Peachtree Village proposal not only defies a number of bylaws, it defies common sense: Imagine, about eight businesses and 12 residences with virtually zero parking, and a structure completely out of character with the downtown area. And no, we will not get used to it.

Andy Thomsen, Peachland