by Dave Preston | Peachland News
August 5, 2011
It will cost Peachland taxpayers up to $45,000 to get a report that will describe the economic, social environmental and financial impacts of proposed major developments.
Peachland council will be asked Tuesday to authorize a $50,000 expenditure in the 2011 financial plan to pay for an Economic Impact Analysis. The Regional Economic Development Commission (REDC) will kick in $5,000 toward the cost.
The REDC and its Peachland counterpart prepared terms of reference for the study and received seven responses to a request for proposal, according to documents attached to Tuesday’s council agenda.
A committee was struck to review the responses and it chose Van Struth Consulting Group as being the best of the lot.
Applications are underway to two different funders for grants to help cover the cost of the study.
The terms of reference for the study suggest a report from the accepted bidder should be available in December of this year.
- Excited
- Informed
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
Agrees completely with the statements above… this is beyond ridiculous
I still wonder how all the development and condos has improved the quality of life for the people who were there before it all got started. Development costs money for infrastructure. Taxes are much higher and so who has really benefitted?
Ex Peachlander.
Ok this is getting ridiculous.
Why can’t the Mayor just come out and say the their will be no private or for profit development in Peachland while he is mayor?
He can run for re-election on that platform and get a clear mandate to stop private development and raise taxes to support public devlopment…. the bat house and seniors centre.
This “impact study” is a thinly disguised attempt to stop development that will be almost certain to say that there will be negative economic impacts to various Peachlanders when it is released.
If this study does not shut down New Monaco and any other devlopments then look for a by-law the banning of transport of heavy machinery within Peachland. New Monaco can go ahead provided they only use bobcats.
We already pay top dollar to our district manager and planners and they have not found a reason to stop New Monaco. The extra $45,000 should come out of their salary and benefit budget.
An economic impact study would have shown decisively that allowing A&W in Peachland would have a negative economic impact on the Bliss Bakery and Rocky Top Cafe.