Longtime Osoyoos developer Robert Linttell, whose company has built the prestigious Sonora Ridge subdivision in the town’s east end, told town council last week about his frustration with bylaw officers tearing down signs promoting his developments. (Keith Lacey photo)
An established Osoyoos developer voiced his frustration to Town of Osoyoos council last week with the town’s standing sign bylaw insisting it has prevented prospective clients from accessing and potentially purchasing lots and homes in town.
Robert Linttell is the marketing manager for Linttell Projects Inc., a developer that has been building homes and selling lots in Osoyoos for more than a decade.
Linttell addressed what he felt were the shortcomings of the town’s current sign bylaw, which he insisted fails to provide land developers with sufficient flexibility to provide directional signage or show home open house signage to development sites.
The shortcomings of the sign bylaw were brought to the attention of senior town administration several months ago, but nothing, to his knowledge, has been done in terms of considering amendments to overcome the shortcomings, said Linttell.
Following his presentation, Linttell told the Osoyoos Times that at least a half dozen of his signs promoting open houses and developments his company has built in Osoyoos have been torn down by what he calls overzealous bylaw officers over the past several months.
“As an active developer in the community, this request is being made following repeated reports or complaints from visitors, prospects, suppliers and trades not being able to locate our development sites,” said Linttell. “As a result of these shortcomings, land and home sales have been adversely affected and our ability to provide sustainable employment opportunities for local trades and suppliers and our ability to generate perpetual land tax to the town has been deteriorated.
“If we are not selling lots, we are unable to proceed with home construction. If we are not constructing homes, trades and suppliers are not employed or unable to sell supplies. Most important, no new homes means the town is not receiving new land tax generation from the sale of lots or new homes, which, in turn, affects the financial strength of the town and its ability to provide sustainable economic development.”
While local developers have attempted to comply with the existing sign bylaw, it appears the removal of street directional signs by town administration and/or the limitations of the current bylaw are counter-productive, said Linttell.
“We are aware other developers in the community are also being adversely affected by such actions and restriction,” he said.
Several members of council, including Mayor Sue McKortoff, said several months of hard work went into formulating a new sign bylaw and all stakeholders were asked for input and information before the bylaw was enacted and passed.
The town isn’t prepared to begin that process again, but it is willing to listen to suggestions that would appease the concerns of developers, while staying within the framework and spirit of the bylaw, said McKortoff.
While council deserves credit for passing a bylaw that was formed to control the number, size, scope and appearance of signs spread throughout the community, taking downs signs that promote development and encourage economic development isn’t the right approach, said Linttell.
“The sign bylaw … was certainly a step in the right direction, but in my view, it is not yet perfect,” he said.
Linttell, whose company has built the Sonora Gardens and Sonora Ridge developments in Osoyoos, said his opinion on this matter are shared by several other large real estate developers in Osoyoos.
Advertising is essential to promoting the viewing and sale of lots and homes and street signage, especially off the main thoroughfares in town, play a vital role in attracting potential buyers, said Linttell.
There’s an industry standard that each new modern home built creates roughly 100 jobs in the short term, he said.
The sale of homes in Osoyoos traditionally generates in excess of $150,000 per year in additional tax revenues for the town, he added.
He has no doubt town leaders and administration have no desire to scare away potential homebuyers, but lack of available signage to several developments in town has resulted in reduced sales, he said.
“We have, in fact, become quasi partners because we do share a vested interest in economic development in the town,” he said.
When bylaw officers remove signs, it has a direct impact on sales, he said.
“When the signs are removed, the sale of homes backfires and we all lose,” he said. “We’ve all (developers) has signs removed by the town and not once did we received a phone call warning us … we have concerns about this.”
The affected developers are willing to make changes to their signs to stay within the spirit of the sign bylaw, said Linttell.
“We would seek resolve from the adversarial position” that now exists and come up with ideas that would allow directional signage to developments to continue, he said.
He has personally had to pick up potential home buyers looking to purchase lots and homes in Osoyoos who got lost in town because they couldn’t access appropriate signage, said Linttell.
“We’ve often had to find them and bring them to the site,” he said. “We want this to change and have a seamless process. We need to have some provisional changes to the bylaw to ensure we are in compliance.”
Coun. C. J. Rhodes said he has been in contact with Linttell on numerous occasions about this subject over the past several months.
There was a great spirit of collaboration amongst all local business owners and stakeholders in forming the new sign bylaw, he said.
There’s no use in enacting a new bylaw unless those who contravene the rules and regulations are forced to face consequences, he said.
“There’s no use in having a bylaw if there isn’t enforcement,” said Rhodes. “There was nothing mean or spiteful when the bylaws were passed.”
The town’s bylaw enforcement officers have a duty to perform their job and do what needs to be done when bylaws are being broken and that’s the only reason some of these signs have been taken down, said Rhodes.
There are towns that allow clusters of signs promoting real estate developments and this could possibly take place under the current bylaw, said Linttell.
Coun. Carol Youngberg invited Linttell and other developers to come up with ideas that would allow signage to continue, while also adhering the regulations laid out in the current bylaw.
“I think we can probably come to a solution … that’s what I feel,” she said.
Coun. Mike Campol said making major revisions to the sign bylaw isn’t appropriate considering how much time and effort was put into creating it just over two years ago.
But he also welcomed suggestions by Linttell and other developers to allow signage that promotes local real estate development, while staying within the spirit of the bylaw.
“It will be interesting to see your proposed solutions within those bylaws,” he said.
McKortoff agreed.
“We truly appreciate hearing from people in our community with good ideas and suggestions,” she said.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
