-Developers distribute information, support letter through South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce-
OSOYOOS TIMES-July 9, 2008-
By Paul EverestrnOsoyoos Times
Out of 93 people who responded to the Osoyoos Times opinion poll regarding the proposed Willow Beach Resort, 53 per cent said they were not in favour of the development concept.
The informal poll query, which gave readers the chance to respond with a yes or no to the question Are you for the proposed Willow Beach development?, was first published in the June 25 issue of the Times in advance of the public hearing for the development application which is scheduled for 7 p.m. on July 9 at the Sonora Centre.
Eighty per cent of respondents said they are from Osoyoos and 16 per cent of those people identified themselves as living in rural Osoyoos.
Four people identified themselves as realtors.
Several e-mail responses could not be included in the final poll results as the writers did not include their place of residence with their response.
Although the responses give an idea of the opinions of local and out-of-town readers regarding the development concept, the survey is not scientific or representative of a wider population.
Dr. Paramjit Gill, an associate professor of statistics at the University of British Columbia-Okanagan, said call-in polls must not be trusted.rnThe simple reason behind the uselessness of call-in polls is you don't know who is responding, he said. It could be a bunch of people with special interest, pro or anti- development, or a bunch of retired people who have time to call back.
I am sorry to say that such call-in polls appear on TV and many newspapers.rnThe idea behind the poll was to get a sense of where people stand on the issue ahead of the public hearing as the development concept has drawn fire from some residents at other public events where the application has been addressed, including a lecture on Osoyoos's oxbows on March 11.
Last month, the developers of the project, Vancouver-based Georgia Laine Developments, joined the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce and paid the chamber to distribute information on the development concept to chamber members by e-mail.
A letter addressed to the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) board indicating support for the development application was also included with the information packages for chamber members to sign and mail in to the board.
The letter draws attention to an agreement reached between the developers and the Town of Osoyoos in April where the cash shortfall for the planned hookup of 121 homes along the northwest shore of Osoyoos Lake” called the Northwest Sewer Project” would be picked up by the developers.
The developers (sic) commitment with the town of Osoyoos to extend the sewer line down the west side of the lake will improve lake water quality and enhance the restoration efforts to the surrounding wetlands, the letter reads. It is imperative this project is allowed to proceed so steps can be taken to improve the health of Osoyoos Lake.rnChris Scheuren, a director with the chamber, said the developers sent out the packages through the chamber because they were concerned members didn't have all the facts about the application.
They saw that there was some disinformation out there, he said.
A number of area residents and local environmental groups have expressed concern about how the development would affect the environmentally sensitive area where it would be built.
The Willow Beach development concept includes an application to build 1,088 residential units on land formerly owned by the Quintal family at the north end of Osoyoos Lake.
The application was approved by the Area A Advisory Planning Commission last October and passed first reading before the RDOS board on Jan. 10, 2008.
It passed second reading on April 17.
According to the developers, the project would have a units-per-acre (0.4 hectares) density of 18.
In addition to the agreement regarding the Northwest Sewer Project, the Town of Osoyoos has also pledged to extend the town's sewage system to accommodate the waste from the development should the project be approved.
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