Eco-village moving full speed ahead
Just over a year after Summerland council began looking at the concept of building an eco-village around its flagship solar project, elected officials have ordered staff to get on with the regulatory work required to make the vision a reality.
Council on Monday gave unanimous approval to four separate motions, which include confirming the concept plan, having staff prepare the necessary rezoning and road closure documents, and spending another $10,000 to cover surveys and legal costs.
“I think I can speak on behalf of council when I say we’re really excited about this. So much work has been done in such a short amount of time,” said Mayor Toni Boot.
She acknowledged eco-village homes, with state-of-the-art green technology, will probably be out of reach for those of modest means, but suggested the project will still increase the overall stock of housing in the community.
The 38-page concept plan features two options for residential development within the eco-village: a medium-density proposal with 96 townhomes and a high-density version with 152 apartments. Besides homes, the plan also contemplates amenities like a community hub, interpretive centre, trail infrastructure and more.
Council has directed staff to do as much legwork as possible, such as rezoning, infrastructure servicing and site layouts, to make the project attractive to developers, who will be invited to buy the land from the district and actually build the ecovillage according to design.
The idea of an eco-village at the Solar + Storage site on Prairie Valley Road was put forward by Coun. Marty Van Alphen in March 2021 to help build support for the solar project and strengthen the case for running sewer lines to that part of Summerland.
“The other thing, too, is I’m envisioning a fully serviced — power- sewer-type situation to the property line — so the taxpayers will get the best bang for that land,” said Van Alphen at Monday’s meeting.
“The last thing I want to see is the (bulldozers) going in there, levelling it all out, putting in these houses, and throwing some rock in the front and calling it landscaped and Bob is your uncle,” he added.
“That’s the last thing I want to see. That was not my intent. It never has been.”
While council is enthusiastic about the eco-village, the public’s response has been “lukewarm,” said Coun. Richard Barkwill, referring to a March survey on the plan that garnered response from just 118 people.
Approximately 49% of respondents expressed some level of support for the eco-village, while 45% rejected the idea outright and another 6% landed on the fence.
“There’s a part (of the community) that has questions and once those questions are answered I think they will become more enthusiastic. I think that in the consultation process people will be able to see what’s going to be happening,” said Barkwill.
Included in council’s agenda package was a letter from the Summerland Chamber of Commerce, which offers support for the project but repeats familiar concerns about overreach by the local government.
“The chamber fully supports council’s efforts to expand housing supply by way of the eco-village, and we are pleased to see the private sector will be relied upon to develop it and take on the market risk,” wrote vice-president Erin Hayman.
“We further encourage the district to let the market determine the form and function of people’s housing choices.”
To date, the district has budgeted $80,000 for work on the eco-village concept. The larger Solar+Storage project is being funded by a $6-million federal grant and $1 million from local taxpayers. It’s slated for completion in the first quarter of 2024.