If you were wondering what the Peachland Residents Association (PRA) submitted to Mayor Keith Fielding’s Peer Review Panel (PRP), wonder no more.
The PRA is well known for its stance that anything bigger than a pup tent is too big in Peachland. The group consistently complains about every aspect of every proposed development and while members seemed to have taken a hiatus for a while, they came out in force against the first new building proposed downtown in a very long time.
Steve Allison, president of Peachland firm TNI, has proposed a new building to replace the Edgewater and Aegean Grill buildings. The PRA, or at least some of its members, have been all over the proposal.
Fielding, for whatever reason, made an arbitrary decision that the TNI proposal would be subjected to a new, never before used, step in the development process. The PRP would be formed and three professionals would be members of it. The group’s purpose would be to give an opinion as to the form and character of the proposed building and whether it meets the spirit of existing planning documents.
Chief among the documents is the Sustainable Downtown Peachland Plan, commonly referred to locally as the charette. It has been hailed by the PRA and its members as the end all, be all document of planning and development (they ignore the fact that the document is nothing more than a guide).
The PRP is a big secret. The district has not released the names of those involved. Where they met has not been disclosed. Only the developer and town staff were allowed to attend. Public submissions would be reviewed.
Clearly the PRA was going to submit something to the panel. What the group submitted is now known.
TNI building elevation (Peachland Residents Association)
In an email sent out Tuesday, Dora Stewart said the PRA’s submission to the PRP underlines “the inappropriate size and location for such a massive building on Beach Avenue.”
Stewart went on to say that it was unfair to the community that the developer was not requested to provide elevation drawings showing “the magnitude of the project in comparison with surrounding buildings.”
The PRA apparently procured such an elevation drawing. Note that in this week’s local newspaper, Gillian Evans states she is the one behind getting the drawing.
Inappropriate size? Massive building? Magnitude of the project?
It is one thing to be against a project. It is quite another to hold up a document (in this case the charette) as the epitome of what is right when it suits your goals and completely ignore it when it does not. And the PRA is ignoring the charette.
One can argue the TNI building is too big. That is subjective. However, the PRA has forgotten a key part of the document they keep throwing in everyone’s faces… That the charette clearly states, numerous times, that buildings along Beach Avenue in downtown Peachland will be two to three stories in height.
Map from the Sustainable Downtown Peachland Plan.
It really does say that, repeatedly. Several PRA members were part of the charette process. They were part of the group that came up with the document; a document that states buildings on Beach Avenue will be two to three stories.
The TNI building is three stories. It fits the charette. If TNI proposed a six-storey building on Beach Avenue, one could conceivably claim the building is an inappropriate size and a massive building.
How is it that a group of people come up with a document that says two/three stories and when someone proposes three stories it is suddenly too big?
From the Sustainable Downtown Peachland Plan
Face facts, PRA. No one is going to fork out the kind of money required to buy land in downtown Peachland in order to build an historic, warm, fuzzy pup tent. It just isn’t going to happen.
As for the PRA’s assertion that the “magnitude of the project” is out of whack to neighboring buildings, of course it is! It’s three stories tall. Neighboring buildings are, for the most part, one storey tall. Of course the TNI building will seem big compared to nearby buildings, until those buildings are torn down and other two to three storey buildings are put up.
Hopefully the secret-for-now PRP tosses the PRA submission in the ‘Yeah Whatever’ pile.
Then again, hopefully Peachland’s councillors completely ignore whatever the PRP says in their report to council in favor of making up their own minds on a project that has been subjected to enough scrutiny.
- Excited
- Informed
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
@Mick Read. I liked your response. Even the PRA is allowed a voice but I don’t appreciate their methods. As far as Peachland costs are concerned I strongly believe (as it appears that you do also) that employees and wages must be reviewed. Who is accountable for keeping the costs down? Note that upon disclosure of Admin wages, benefits were not posted. At least 30%. Therefor $134,000 becomes $175,000. I will bet lots that we could find an excellent replacement for $90K. The cost per tax payer for wages alone must be horrendous. In my conversations with those in the know, the subject of high wages is something that council/mayor doesn’t want to scrutinize. I have seen others validate Peachland’s admin wages based on comparison ie. Westbank/Richmond. Duh! It bothers me that some people look at government costs then forget that all of the cash comes from our pocket books. Most of the families in Peachland are Pensioners or Families with children and can ill afford Peachland Taxes and utility costs and then pay for busing their kids to school. Someone must do an audit and make changes to the culture of saving and spending. For instance. One quarter million for a skate board park. Could we not defer that expense for another year rather that argue as to location? The times of abundance are over. If we must pinch penny’s so must our civic government. Sanity dictates that even the District of Peachland has to be accountable to the tax payer. My opinion only.
G’day James. Well it certainly looks like we are on the same sheet. An earlier comment I mentioned that we have approx. 3000 taxpayers and a population of 5000 that expect the good life at the same time pay Municipal staff the wages and recent increases and decreasing the Fire Chiefs wage. Something stinks. Honest.
As far as I am concerned a Casino would have rounded off the Holiday resort that this Council has turned Peachland into. Never mind we get back the town after Labour Day.
MR.
Mick Read. The great democracy that we live in allows for me to have my opinion. My experience is not limited to Peachland politics and I always pay attention to cost/benefit. I find the PRA to be a group of backward radicals and I find that their war of obfuscation, offensive. The Hmmmm …whats the word…lies re the casino could affect TNI’s ability to do business in this town. It affects their money. That makes it slander. As far as the mayor’s performance goes…not good. I don’t know who you are or why you believe that we a getting commitment from the mayor or each of the council. You could well be a faceless member of the PRA (sounds a lot like PRC doesn’t it). Yes. The tax payers in Peachland should get “wound up”. Have you given good thought to the utilities bill? Do you think that $134,000 plus benefits is a reasonable admin salary for a town of 5000? Possibly; in you eyes nothing is awry. You may have become too complacent Can you imagine the cost to Peachland if TNI leaves? Thats my opinion.
First James I mentioned in previous comments that you have every right to your opinion and I have no wish to deny the fact. As for the Mayor and Council my feeling has been the Empire building we see at the present. It is a tough job to change things at this time.. We can say that the present mob has been voted-in by the majority of Taxpayers. One just cannot win. Allin was accused of contracting out work recently. In my past experience that is the way to go in many cases. One thing it can keep Municipal wage costs down for sure. I have to agree with you on that fact. Plus a few others. You mention the PRA are backward radicals. I do not know that for sure, most agitators are classed as radicals today. Again as mentioned before I have had problems with them way back. I suppose Council does not satisfy all of us but we have to put up with the present members. Whether you and I like it they perform according to life experiences. As for me being complacent , ask a few locals.. Good on yer…
One last point. If the mayor cannot see the benefit of the TNI building then perhaps he and council are not doing the jobs that we elected them to. It appears that “punting” is the mayors way of dealing with his buds at PRA. Kowtowing to a few of No Name PRA’s is just plain idiocy and punting to another acronym (PRP) is expensive, needless, and a delay tactic. Man up Fielding.
James Holden. As I have mentioned in these blogs before. Every Taxpayer has the Right to Oppose Council. There is No opposition to their commitments they engage in on behalf of the Taxpayer. the PRA under different names have been around for years. I must admit I had problems with them sometime back. Too many ‘Sidewalk Engineers’ But reading these writings we have the same plus amature Lawyers. I see no slander or any other comments that that PRA has submitted. Never the less it is good for the public to get ‘wound-up’. Right or wrong it gets one thinking.
As for the Mayor. He is doing a job that is bound to get critism. That is Politics. People get upset, like yourself , because he is not satisfying your thoughts on the subject, It is a fine line he has to walk. As for kowtowing to the PRA, I do not believe your submission for a moment, I do not agree with him at times, but I accept he does what he considers the best. That is an example of So-called Democracy.
Having been in Peachland for a couple of decades, Peachland is a great place. Of course it will grow, the big problem is, a few kilo’s away we have large box-stores with cheaper prices etc. and all these Developements will not change that fact. To finish, Councils of earlier times always had a period at Council meetings that locals were allowed to put forward their thoughts. Something that has been forgotten by the present Council.
Mick, if I could get you to stop calling these ‘comments’ ‘blogs’, it would make my week.
Sorry Dave, I will do my best…Honest.
If I was Steve Allison I would take my money and run. I have read more disinformation from this PRA group than I would like and I have never seen so much vitriolic compost in my life. Some of it borders on slander and we find it truly offensive My wife and I love Peachland. We see the benefits of having TNI business and employees…and income in our community. We like the idea and drawings for the Edgewood transformation and do not find it conceivable that anything that looks like the Bliss building might not be acceptable. Besides; the money for this venture is from TNI. Considering that losing TNI would be shameful yet losing the the PRA would be a huge step in the right direction I would back the removal of PRA and PLEAD with TNI to stay. As TNI does great charitable work and the PRA slander is likely driving away TNI business…and if I was Steve Allison…I would ensure that the PRA had their time in front of a judge. This slander should not go uncontested. I talk from common sense and I don’t know Mr. Allison from Adam. What really frightens us though is that Peachland government is so weak that PRA can manipulate mayor and council. Open Your Eyes
I agree with Rusty and Trigger that this elevation drawing is completely out of scale and therefore misleading. Did Gillian Evans explain who prepared the elevation drawing and the superposition over the photo? In my opinion this could not have been prepared by the architect or by any professional with direct association to the project. The quality of the sketch is poor (and makes me suspect it was “reverse engineered” from the artist’s perspective drawing). The fact that it appears to engulf the Gasthaus and have a footprint twice the size of the available land is just sloppy propaganda. Good politics requires skilled deception. Yes, it looks like Buckingham Palace was just plopped onto Beach Avenue – and that’s why it is completely unmoving.
Thank you Dave for reminding the PRA that they were part of the process and should respect the outcome.
I initially misplaced the information center, to the right of the sketch, for a residence to the north of the Gasthaus. So the horizontal representation may be “closer” than I had originally commented but, the height and overall street presence of the presentation remains exaggerated in my view.
What a joke really…I could be wrong but I can’t see the Gasthaus in this picture. Looks like there is no sidewalk either.
Dave…I don t know why you removed some words from my previous letter.Neither the words or meaning were offensive, but possibly true in content…
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