— Developer says Town misunderstands project —

(OSOYOOS TIMES — October 31, 2007) —

By Chad IngramrnOsoyoos Times

The Town of Osoyoos sent a letter Monday to the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) denouncing the Willow Beach development.
The letter was approved at a special Council meeting Friday.
The Willow Beach site lies within the rural Osoyoos 'Area A' of RDOS. While the Town of Osoyoos has no formal clout in determining the fate of the huge housing project, RDOS asked for its input on the 'informal' bylaw referral for the development.
The proposal formally goes before the RDOS Board of Directors at a Nov. 29 meeting.
Drawn up by Osoyoos Director of Planning and Development Services Alain Cunningham and addressed to Suzanne Theurer, the Planning Services Manager for RDOS, the Town of Osoyoos letter recommends, Approval Not Be Granted Due to Reasons Outlined Below.
Those reasons are what the Town says are inconsistencies with the Rural Osoyoos Official Community Plan (OCP) for Area A, the draft South Okanagan Regional Growth Strategy, and general smart growth principles.
Specifically, the Town says the Willow Beach development contradicts Policy 4.4.7 of the Rural Osoyoos OCP, which reads: Generally, directs new urban residential growth to those urban communities within the Plan area that currently have the community, infrastructure, services and employment opportunities to sustain higher densities. Where a demonstrated need for servicing parcels adjacent to the urban community, the Regional District may support a boundary expansion within the greater context of growth management for the region.
Project manager for the Willow Beach development, Len Chaston, was taken aback by the Town's reaction.
After reading through the letter, it's clear they don't understand our development, Chaston said.
No one is getting what we're doing at all. It tells me that we're not communicating.
Chaston said the notion that Willow Beach will be a town between two towns (Osoyoos and Oliver) is simply wrong.
We're not a town, we're a community, Chaston said, emphasizing that while the development will contain a grocery and convenience store, it will not possess the amenities of established urban centre.
He also reiterated that while the Town in the past has suggested expanding its boundaries to encompass Willow Beach, the development will remain part of the RDOS.
The boundary extension idea needs to be put to bed, Chaston said.
With regards to the draft RGS, the letter says the Willow Beach is not designated as a primary, secondary nor other growth area on the RGS Map of Potential Growth Areas.
The important word to remember in that sentence is the word 'draft' Chaston said. We believe Willow Beach has all the characteristics that are needed to be a secondary growth area.
In the summer, the Town sent a letter to RGS co-ordinator for RDOS, David Arsenault, requesting the Willow Beach site and other areas of rural Osoyoos be added to the growth strategy.
With respect to smart growth principles, the letter lists a number which the Town believes the Willow Beach development does not employ.
These are: to promote compact and continuous urban areas with well-defined edges between urban and rural uses; promote vibrant urban centres that offer and sustain a full range of amenities; promote pedestrian accessibility and reduce vehicle usage wherever possible; promote cost-effective servicing and best use of available lands for development; and infill and densify existing serviced areas and expand growth outwards sparingly.
Chaston was ready to defend his development on all these grounds.
First of all the word 'rural' is being bandied around a lot he said. Chaston said that because the site is located just 6 km from Osoyoos, is directly adjacent to Hwy. 97 and is connected to Osoyoos by a string of 120 homes, he doesn't consider the area to be truly rural in the first place.
The project manager seemed most agitated by the accusation the Willow Beach development is not geared at pedestrian accessibility.
That's our biggest thing! Chaston said. It's a pedestrian-oriented community. Your car will bring you from wherever and that will be it.
He said the high density of Willow Beach (now 1,088 units on 70 acres) is designed to accommodate the huge influx of retirees expected to flock to the Okanagan in the near future, without leaving a large ecological footprint.
It will take development pressure off the Town as well, Chaston said. They should be happy about this.
The Willow Beach development recently decreased from a planned 1,244 units to 1,088. This came as a result of an Advisory Planning Commission (APC) meeting, where members recommended the density of the project be decreased.
While the plan original called for single family homes, duplexes, townhouses and four- and six-story condos, all condo buildings will now be just four storeys tall.
Chaston said he hopes the Town will still support the development in the future.
I know we're going to be good neighbours, he said.
Willow Beach developers are holding open houses at the site Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.