After a recent public hearing, council has given final approval to a bylaw that updates and replaces the Ponderosa Pincushion Area Structure plan.
Among the changes in the updated plan are: a provision to allow the required affordable housing (10 per cent of all housing) to be additional to, rather than part of the total housing allowed; mapping changes to reflect some repositioning of housing on the site; requirements for upgrading Ponderosa and Somerset; clarification of requirements for intersection improvement at Ponderosa and 13th Street; and, perhaps most significantly, a provision that will allow the required new access road (i.e. the new road connecting the development to Hwy. 97) to be completed during the first phase of development instead of prior to the first phase of development.
Council has struggled with this last issue because it means that there will be inconvenience for residents on Somerset and Ponderosa as up to 350 homes are built before the new road is completed. However, with the project facing enormous front-end costs for golf course completion and infrastructure improvement, we have acknowledged that it is reasonable for the developers to seek revenue generating opportunities before facing yet another significant capital outlay for access road construction.
It is understood, and clearly defined in the negotiated Phased Development Agreement, that home number 351 will not be built until the new road is in place. The developer is committed to working with municipal staff and local residents to minimize inconvenience during the period of construction, and further information regarding these measures will be made available when development applications have been processed, and construction schedules are finalized.
Following a separate public hearing, this one related to the proposed New Monaco development, Council has now approved a bylaw incorporating the New Monaco Area Structure Plan into our Official Community Plan. A Phased Development Agreement that will provide clarity and certainty about many of the plan’s conceptual elements has yet to be negotiated and is the next stage for progression of this project.
Prior to completion of this next stage, council will have the results of an economic impact analysis that it is about to commission. Terms of reference for the study are now being developed, after which, expressions of interest to carry out the study will be sought from qualified consultants.
The purpose of the study is to analyse the sustainability, and impact, of currently proposed levels of housing supply, and provide information to help ensure that growth is managed effectively over the long term.
On a different note, we were disappointed to learn this week that our grant application to the Provincial Government ‘Towns for Tomorrow’ program for support to assist us with renovations to the Primary School was not approved.
That is a set-back to our plans, but we are following-up on other opportunities, including with our MP, Dan Albas, in light of an earlier offer from Stockwell Day to seek Federal assistance. Exterior treatments, removal of hazardous materials, removal of guano and the installation of web cams to showcase the amazing bat colony have now been completed, ending the first phase of work. Subsequent phases will address upgrades to meet current building code requirements, and interior renovations.
In other recent news, the municipality has received notice from the owners of the McDougald road gravel pit of their intention to re-commence operations with effect from June 22 2011.
Given that the owners chose not to pursue a court challenge of the municipality’s regulatory bylaw, that bylaw remains in full force. Operations at the site will be closely monitored to ensure full compliance. In the event of non-compliance, the district will have the option to seek enforcement through a court injunction.
To end on a brighter note, it is satisfying to hear from so many people how much they appreciate the new Beach Avenue walkway. With sunny weather finally upon us, the walkway is getting more and more use; neighbouring residents, tourists, and locals are out in full force enjoying the delights of Peachland’s magical waterfront. And this week, the lifeguards at Swim Bay (the only swimming area in the Okanagan to be lifeguard protected) began work. Summer is here!
- Excited
- Informed
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
Dear Mayor Fielding.
Your decision to cave (again) to the whims of the Vancouver Promoter / Developer of Ponderosa has removed all doubt that you care NOTHING for the citizens of Peachland and EVERYTHING for bright, shiny dreams.
I live in the Ponderosa area and have followed this development from the beginning. I am not at all surprised by the actions of the developer (community amenities promised and then removed, missed milestones, etc., etc., etc.). Their ONLY mandate is to make a profit for their shareholders. They will endeavor to make this profit through whatever means that they can muster.
What surprises me is how easily Peachland Council and yourself have been taken in by their plans, broken promises, and now, by their crocodile tears.
Mister Mayor, your job is to represent the wishes of your constituents. Remember?
One of the primary and most important points of the Ponderosa Agreement was that NO construction traffic, and NO additional homeowner traffic would be sent up and down the narrow switchbacks of Ponderosa Avenue. The Community spoke very loudly and clearly on this matter.
A Separate Access to the Highway for the Ponderosa Development was a safety, livability, and Community requirement. The Developer agreed to it at the time – and it was considered final. That the Developer was then or has now become incompetent for signing that Agreement – is of no bearing to Peachland. The REASONS for this requirement being put in the Agreement have NOT CHANGED one iota.
One broken-down heavy truck blocking Ponderosa Avenue – plus one fire or medical emergency on the other side of the blockage – and the effect (the ‘blood’) will be on this Council’s hands.
There is much more to hold you personally accountable for: Playing politics in public against TNI on downtown redevelopment; Six-storey senior’s housing ghettos (how far from a hospital are we, Mr. Mayor?); Lack of action on traffic signal(s) on Hwy 97 (the MVA fatality on Clements Cres. / HWY 97 comes to mind); The way that you have allowed the New Monaco developers to pick and choose how it will be approved (which is playing out to become a bigger embarrassment to Peachland than even Ponderosa); Onerous logging truck rules (with zero enforcement) on Princeton Ave.; no amenities for the youth of our community; and your most recent ‘oops’: removing the playground in Cousins’ Park (which was very much used by families at Swim Bay) – so that your cronies won’t have to look for a parking space in front of the Rec. Centre.
I, and many other reasonable normally silent people are determined to work actively over the coming months to ensure that you, and the other members of your Council who share your contemptible, warped and scandalous sense of who you work for, are thrown out of office.
Mr. Mayor. Now is the time for you to go on a permanent vacation. Resign.
Summer would then be here, indeed!