-Vote jeopardizes sewage project, developer sees decision as 'setback'-
OSOYOOS TIMES-August 13, 2008-
By Chad IngramrnOsoyoos Times
The proposed Willow Beach Resort development did not pass third reading before the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) rural board at a meeting on Aug. 7.
Zoning and Official Community Plan amendments required for the development concept were voted down by the board in a 4-4 vote.
When it came time to vote, Area C Director Allan Patton, Area E Director Tom Chapman, Area H Director Gerri Logan and Area G alternate director Duncan MacArthur voted against the amendments.
A 10-minute recess was then called by RDOS Chair Dan Ashton, after which Ashton said Area G Director Joe Nitsch, who is reportedly in favour of the proposed project, was contacted by phone.
Nitsch's preference was relayed to MacArthur, Ashton said.
Chapman reacted to Ashton's comments by saying he felt as if the chair's actions were sidelining the basic principles of democracy and referred to Ashton as a dictator.rnUsing his powers as chair, Ashton brought the motion to approve the resort application back to the table, but the same 4-4 vote was cast by the rural directors.
It was voted that no further decisions be made regarding the proposal until the next RDOS meeting.
The 1,088-unit housing resort development proposed for the north end of Osoyoos Lake passed first reading with the board in December and second reading in April.
A public hearing on the proposal was held on July 9, where a slight majority of residents spoke in favour of the development plans.
The results of (the public hearing) seem to be in favour of it, Area A Director Mark Pendergraft said before the vote on Aug. 7 as he expressed his support for the proposed project.
I didn't really get that impression, responded Patton. I was there.rnThree of the eight RDOS rural directors “ Pendergraft, Patton and Area B Director George Hanson “ were present at the public hearing, a turnout that drew open criticism from Osoyoos councillor Stu Wells.
I do have my own little score card here, Patton said, adding that he found public opinion from the hearing to be half and half.rnI couldn't help but notice that the people that were for the application were really basically concerned about the sewage system, he added.
On April 24, Robert Wilson, president of Vancouver's Georgia Laine Developments and the developer behind the Willow Beach Resort proposal, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Town of Osoyoos agreeing that if the resort is approved by the RDOS, the developer would provide the estimated $2-million shortfall needed to complete the Northwest Sewer Project.
That project would hook 121 homes still using septic tanks along Osoyoos Lake's northwest shore up to Osoyoos's sewage system.
Patton referred to the deal as blackmail.
He also noted that two members of the Area A Advisory Design Panel who spoke at the public hearing expressed concerns over the proposed project's density.
The panel approved the resort concept in the fall of 2007 with the stipulation that the proposed number of units” originally 1,244” be significantly decreased.
Panel members who spoke at the public hearing said the panel was not satisfied with the reduction to 1,088 units.
I can't support this, Patton said.
Chapman made similar comments prior to the third reading vote, expressing concern over the density of the proposed project.
You're going to double the population of your area with the swipe of a pen here, he told Pendergraft.
Chapman noted that a number of local environmental groups had expressed opposition to the proposed development including concerns over the way it had become linked to the completion of the Northwest Sewer Project.
The sewer project was moving ahead, albeit slowly, without this development coming to the forefront, he said, adding that the construction of such a large development at the head of Osoyoos Lake would be something that would be regretted by the public at large for a long, long time to come.rnChapman said he was open to discussion on lowering the density of the proposed project.
Hanson spoke in favour of the proposal, saying that while he initially had concerns over its density, the fact sewage from the proposed development would be dealt with appropriately had eased his concerns.
It's a logical place for growth when I take a look at the area, said Area D Director Bill Schwarz, expressing his full support for the proposed project.
Schwarz added that the head of Osoyoos Lake has been populated for years with the residents of the Willow Beach RV Park and Campground.
Logan asked RDOS staff how the provincial Environment Ministry had responded to the resort proposal.
That's all I hear that this is a floodplain and a wildlife area and all that, Logan said.
RDOS Planning Director Susanne Theurer said the ministry had not yet provided the RDOS with its assessment of how the proposed project might affect the hydrology at the north end of the lake.
Following the vote, Osoyoos mayor and RDOS director John Slater stood and expressed his objection to the board's decision.
The sewer project isn't blackmail, it's reality, Slater said, accusing the dissenting directors of jeopardizing the completion of the sewer extension. It really bothers me I don't get to vote on this.
In an interview on Aug. 8, Slater said that if construction on the sewer project doesn't begin by Oct. 31, the construction costs will increase significantly and the RDOS would risk losing the $4.5-million grant it received from the provincial and federal governments towards the project last summer.
As Slater explained, the Northwest Sewer Project has been on the books for 20 years and easements that were once part of the Canadian Pacific Railway line have been left allotted by the rail company for the installation of pipe.
The agreement for these easements has been extended a number of times in anticipation of the project, Slater said, but the last extension expires on Oct. 31.
Those property owners want to landscape their properties, he said, adding another extension would not be granted.
In that case, Slater said, the pipeline for the sewer project would have to run under the lake, which he said would increase construction costs by as much as $2 million.
Slater also said he had spoken with MLAs Ida Chong, Rick Thorpe and Bill Barisoff and said if such a setback were to happen, the RDOS would almost certainly lose its $4.5 million grant.
The feasibility would be really bad, Slater said. If the RDOS botches this, we'll never see more grants down here.
And it isn't just the sewer project, he added, noting that the developer would be providing a total of some $10 million for infrastructural improvements to the area, including increased rural fire protection and infrastructure that would help the Town of Osoyoos with its planned water twinning project.
Slater said it was unfortunate that an alternate director had voted on the matter and that MacArthur didn't fully understand the scope of the project.rnTim Ankenman, chief architect of the proposed resort, said the developers were unhappy with the board's decision.
We were disappointed, but we see it as a setback, he said, adding that he was sure the board would do the right thing and eventually approve the proposal.
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