-Date pending for Willow Beach public hearing-
OSOYOOS TIMES-April 23, 2008-
By Chad IngramrnOsoyoos Times
The proposed Willow Beach Resort development easily passed its second reading with the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) board of directors at a board meeting on April 17, with only one board member opposing the motion.
Official Community Plan and rezoning amendments required for the proposed 1,088-unit housing complex were given a first reading by the board on Jan. 10.
The resort is slated to be built at the north end of Osoyoos Lake, on the site of the former Willow Beach Campground and RV Park.
I think it's worthy of note, although this is a big project for a rural area, there is a promise by the Town of Osoyoos to extend sewer services, said Mark Pendergraft, director for RDOS Rural Area A.
That promise came earlier this month when Osoyoos officials announced they would extend the sewage system to accommodate the waste of the Willow Beach Resort should the project be approved.
While it goes against town policy to extend sewage services outside of town boundaries, Osoyoos councillors said they were concerned about the amount of effluent an on-site sewage treatment plant at Willow Beach might put into Osoyoos Lake.
Pendergraft said he thought the developers of Willow Beach had done a commendable job dealing with concerns from local residents and incorporating green principles into the project's design. He said most of the complaints he'd heard had come from people outside the town of Osoyoos and not Osoyoos residents.
Area E Director Tom Chapman, the only director to oppose the motion, said he was looking forward to the public hearing, the next phase in the process.
It might be a real eye-opener for you, Chapman told Pendergraft. I think your eyes are half shut on this one.
That property is a wetland. It's taken 80 years to get any kind of conservation in place in that area and all of the sudden we're throwing it out.
The oxbows at the head of Osoyoos Lake are recognized as environmentally sensitive by the province.
Developers have committed to leaving a 30-metre buffer of vegetation around the habitat.
They have also agreed to dedicate 10.5 hectares of the 30-hectare property to parks and conservation.
These and other conditions are outlined in a phasing development agreement between the developers and the RDOS.
A date for the public hearing has not yet been set.
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