Carr’s Landing lots to be discussed

Town officials to meet with residents association today

The first meeting will be held today in what promises to be a challenging process to find common ground in a dispute over waterfront lands in Lake Country.

Town officials will meet with representatives of the newly revived Carr’s Landing residents association to discuss the future of three municipal properties north of Gable Beach Park.

“We’re going to try to figure out a way forward,” association president Doug Worbets said Wednesday. “It’s way early to make any kind of supposition or conjecture about what’s going to happen.”

The town is considering selling the waterfront lots, which extend 210 metres along the shore, for $1.2 million to three adjacent property owners.

The properties are surplus to the town’s park needs, municipal officials say, and the intent is to put most of the revenue toward Lake Country’s debt of $2.5 million to the City of Kelowna, incurred as part of the purchase of an abandoned railway corridor as part of a longdistance recreation path.

But the proposal has aroused strong opposition, with about 1,300 people signing petitions against the idea. Critics say publicly owned waterfront lands should never be sold, no matter the reason.

Rather than make a decision on the matter at a meeting last week, town council instructed staff to meet with the residents association to further explain the proposal and see what other options might be considered.

The association had been dormant for lack of any pressing issues or concerns in Carr’s Landing, Worbets says. It’s not known when town council will consider the matter again, but Worbets said he hoped it isn’t still being discussed six months from now.