If You Live In Lantzville...
Below is a presentation which was made to Lantzville Council at their Regular Council Meeting on Feb. 28, 2005. It is the culmination of a development company (Watt Ventures - Duncan and Cameron Watt) having gained political influence with our MLA, Judith Reid, so that the provincial government stepped into a local process and allowed them to take a piece of buffering (even more so before they clear cut it), Lantzville property into the City of Nanaimo and rezone it to commercial (Woodgrove Regional Shopping Centre). Guess what that did to its value!
They and the government “pulled out all the stops” (see blog “So Much for Due Process") and neither the City nor the Regional District of Nanaimo was prepared to tell them ‘NO’ (they had the ability but were they coaxed/threatened?). The people of Lantzville were left out of the process at every turn and all anyone could say was “it’s a done deal”. Now these guys want to increase their lucre even more, and therefore, have applied to the District of Lantzville for rezoning of the adjacent .7 acre piece of property so that they can add 6,000 more square feet to their 75,550 sq. ft. mall, which recently received a Development Permit from the City.
They have even convinced Highways to sell them a .2 acre piece of adjacent ‘road closure’, something Lantzville was supposed to be notified of but wasn’t – should we be surprised? They claim that Lantzville will benefit by having priority at this public parking lot, which we can use if we need to park at Pioneer Park (it’ll be a dash across a busy through-street) – how much is that worth? Then again, they've also implied that it will be used primarily for employee parking. They are also offering to build a 195 m long section of 3 m wide, gravel, then paved and now apparently gravel again "multi-purpose trail" on the north side of the extended Lantzville Road (across the street from the proposed parking lot). How much good this 'orphan' trial is going to do in that location, I don't know, but at the very least, it seems to me to be on the wrong side of the street.
They and the government “pulled out all the stops” (see blog “So Much for Due Process") and neither the City nor the Regional District of Nanaimo was prepared to tell them ‘NO’ (they had the ability but were they coaxed/threatened?). The people of Lantzville were left out of the process at every turn and all anyone could say was “it’s a done deal”. Now these guys want to increase their lucre even more, and therefore, have applied to the District of Lantzville for rezoning of the adjacent .7 acre piece of property so that they can add 6,000 more square feet to their 75,550 sq. ft. mall, which recently received a Development Permit from the City.
They have even convinced Highways to sell them a .2 acre piece of adjacent ‘road closure’, something Lantzville was supposed to be notified of but wasn’t – should we be surprised? They claim that Lantzville will benefit by having priority at this public parking lot, which we can use if we need to park at Pioneer Park (it’ll be a dash across a busy through-street) – how much is that worth? Then again, they've also implied that it will be used primarily for employee parking. They are also offering to build a 195 m long section of 3 m wide, gravel, then paved and now apparently gravel again "multi-purpose trail" on the north side of the extended Lantzville Road (across the street from the proposed parking lot). How much good this 'orphan' trial is going to do in that location, I don't know, but at the very least, it seems to me to be on the wrong side of the street.
It even took a ‘neat trick’ on the District’s part to allow this proposal to proceed as just a rezoning instead of first requiring an OCP amendment – in my opinion, the proposed parking lot does not fit the Bylaw 500 definition of “public (utility) use”, and therefore, does not deserve an exemption from an amendment.
There is a Public Information Meeting at Costin Hall on Monday, March 14/05 at 6:15 pm. where the developers will be making a presentation on their proposal and the District/RDN will be talking about the ‘technical’ aspects of the application. If you were at all concerned about the Jeffs’ property being taken into the City and how it all happened and how it has and will continue to negatively impact our lives in semi-rural Lantzville, please come out to this meeting! You will have an opportunity to ask questions of the developers (don’t make it easy on them, so no simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions please) and, given the way we’ve been treated in the past, I would say that anything goes including, since we weren’t consulted about giving up the Jeffs’ property, any lingering questions you may have there, as well (we’ll have to try our best to be polite to our ‘guests’).
Lantzville residents will remember that we were sold incorporation, at least, in part, to make sure that Lantzville wouldn’t lose any more land (to protect our borders). If Council agrees to allow this proposal from the very same people who took the Jeffs’ property from our community to ‘reach back’ into Lantzville and build a commercial parking lot, is there really any difference?
Mr. Mayor and Assembled Councillors,
Let me begin by saying how refreshing it is to be able to address our elected officials related to the development proposal by Watt Ventures in person, since the last two, major, public decisions regarding their development were made by the RDN in the height of the summer vacation season and by Nanaimo City Council just days before Christmas. When the issue of Lantzville land being taken into the City was first proposed by this developer (it was the third attempt for this property that I am aware of), representations were made by Watt Ventures that there would be information flyers and a Public Information Meeting for the residents of Lantzville – it never happened!
Instead, we were treated to landowner meetings with politicians (local and provincial), cash inducements being offered to the City to secure their acquiescence, Nanaimo’s Mayor breaking his word and holding some of you up to ridicule, City policies being ignored and a key definition in the Urban Containment and Fringe Area Management Implementation Agreement being arbitrarily changed. We, in Lantzville, were told by our MLA and the Minister responsible that there were ‘bigger interests’ than just us to consider. The City of Nanaimo, having the province to blame it all on if anything went awry, sheepishly went along. So, here we are tonight and you seven elected officials now have the chance to draw the proverbial ‘line in the sand’ and just say ‘NO’.
Watt Ventures has certainly been successful in getting things going their way. My neighbours and I, while trying for over 5 years to get Lantzville Road extended to Dover without any strings attached, were first told that the designated funds had been spent on completing Ware Road ahead of schedule. So, being a creative bunch, we came up with the idea of having Highways swap at most a couple of acres of their vast local, landholding with the then-owner of the property which is the subject of tonight’s proposal, but were told that it wasn’t Highways land to swap – it belonged to something called the ‘Transportation Financing Authority’ (chaired, as it turned out, by the Minister of Highways). We then came up with the idea of having them sell sections of the no-longer-needed gazetted road just south of the properties fronting Rosalyn and Owen, which had been set aside to be used to connect Lantzville Road to Dover Road before the current plan came into being. At least three of my neighbours had contacted Highways expressing an interest in just such an acquisition and the proceeds could have been used to complete the road connection – again, no dice. In the report before you tonight, you will see that Watt Ventures has obtained a piece of Highways’ land to extend their proposed landscape berm further west, a trade-off with the originally proposed 10 metre-wide berm, or so I am told. I have to envy them their record of accomplishments but I don’t really understand why they could be successful where we couldn’t.
In case you think that it’s only the questionable way in which this all came about that I am unhappy with, I have a number of concerns regarding the specific proposal before you tonight which I should like to bring to your attention.
With respect to this proposed parking lot being a benefit for the community of Lantzville – it has been my observation over my many walks past Pioneer Park that the vast majority of people parking there are NOT FROM LANTZVILLE. This raises the question of whether we should be accepting an amenity that would be used by relatively few of our residents in exchange for a rezoning into a ‘commercial-looking’ parking lot. Remember, Lantzville has consistently told anyone who would listen over the past 10+ years that we are a semi-rural community. This proposal does not respect that!
There is a considerable need for parking for the many activities which occur at Pioneer Park – soccer, football, baseball, rugby, skateboarding and tennis. Many of the current users of Pioneer Park park along the south side of Dover (which will not be available once the Nanaimo portion of this development proceeds), in the curve of Shook and Dover (even though it is posted) and even on the development’s vacant property. It is entirely possible that something like half of the 81 spaces provided by this proposal would be required on a regular basis by those users of Pioneer Park. I say again that the vast majority of them are not from Lantzville and wish to point out that the City of Nanaimo should be responsible for providing adequate parking for its parks.
Mr. Senini (the developer’s lawyer), in his letter to Robert Lapham (District Planner) of Feb. 18/05, states that the rezoning is requested “for the primary purpose of providing parking for the employees of the commercial development proposed for adjacent Lot 2…, general vehicle parking and other uses”. This would appear to change the order of precedence in the report from Mr. Lapham, where employees aren’t even mentioned, and lessen the veracity of the suggestion that this proposal would provide a benefit for Lantzville. Why should Lantzville be responsible for providing employee and customer parking to a Nanaimo development paying taxes to the City of Nanaimo? It appears to me that this is not so much an amenity for the residents of Lantzville as a way for the developer to increase density on his formerly Lantzville property.
Finally, with respect to the proposed landscape berm, 5 metres (16.4’) of landscaping will cut down very little highway noise and light, especially when the initial vegetation will only be something like half its ultimate height. In my opinion, it is a far cry from the buffer required by our OCP. Personally, I would not be unhappy to see the remainder of this property left just as it is today.
Therefore, I urge you to accept option no. 3 and reject this application outright but, in the alternative, I would strongly suggest that you require the Applicant to distribute information flyers and hold a Public Information Meeting before you consider this matter further and HOLD HIM TO IT! Only then will you know whether or not this proposal provides a real benefit in the eyes of Lantzville residents.
There is a Public Information Meeting at Costin Hall on Monday, March 14/05 at 6:15 pm. where the developers will be making a presentation on their proposal and the District/RDN will be talking about the ‘technical’ aspects of the application. If you were at all concerned about the Jeffs’ property being taken into the City and how it all happened and how it has and will continue to negatively impact our lives in semi-rural Lantzville, please come out to this meeting! You will have an opportunity to ask questions of the developers (don’t make it easy on them, so no simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions please) and, given the way we’ve been treated in the past, I would say that anything goes including, since we weren’t consulted about giving up the Jeffs’ property, any lingering questions you may have there, as well (we’ll have to try our best to be polite to our ‘guests’).
Lantzville residents will remember that we were sold incorporation, at least, in part, to make sure that Lantzville wouldn’t lose any more land (to protect our borders). If Council agrees to allow this proposal from the very same people who took the Jeffs’ property from our community to ‘reach back’ into Lantzville and build a commercial parking lot, is there really any difference?
Mr. Mayor and Assembled Councillors,
Let me begin by saying how refreshing it is to be able to address our elected officials related to the development proposal by Watt Ventures in person, since the last two, major, public decisions regarding their development were made by the RDN in the height of the summer vacation season and by Nanaimo City Council just days before Christmas. When the issue of Lantzville land being taken into the City was first proposed by this developer (it was the third attempt for this property that I am aware of), representations were made by Watt Ventures that there would be information flyers and a Public Information Meeting for the residents of Lantzville – it never happened!
Instead, we were treated to landowner meetings with politicians (local and provincial), cash inducements being offered to the City to secure their acquiescence, Nanaimo’s Mayor breaking his word and holding some of you up to ridicule, City policies being ignored and a key definition in the Urban Containment and Fringe Area Management Implementation Agreement being arbitrarily changed. We, in Lantzville, were told by our MLA and the Minister responsible that there were ‘bigger interests’ than just us to consider. The City of Nanaimo, having the province to blame it all on if anything went awry, sheepishly went along. So, here we are tonight and you seven elected officials now have the chance to draw the proverbial ‘line in the sand’ and just say ‘NO’.
Watt Ventures has certainly been successful in getting things going their way. My neighbours and I, while trying for over 5 years to get Lantzville Road extended to Dover without any strings attached, were first told that the designated funds had been spent on completing Ware Road ahead of schedule. So, being a creative bunch, we came up with the idea of having Highways swap at most a couple of acres of their vast local, landholding with the then-owner of the property which is the subject of tonight’s proposal, but were told that it wasn’t Highways land to swap – it belonged to something called the ‘Transportation Financing Authority’ (chaired, as it turned out, by the Minister of Highways). We then came up with the idea of having them sell sections of the no-longer-needed gazetted road just south of the properties fronting Rosalyn and Owen, which had been set aside to be used to connect Lantzville Road to Dover Road before the current plan came into being. At least three of my neighbours had contacted Highways expressing an interest in just such an acquisition and the proceeds could have been used to complete the road connection – again, no dice. In the report before you tonight, you will see that Watt Ventures has obtained a piece of Highways’ land to extend their proposed landscape berm further west, a trade-off with the originally proposed 10 metre-wide berm, or so I am told. I have to envy them their record of accomplishments but I don’t really understand why they could be successful where we couldn’t.
In case you think that it’s only the questionable way in which this all came about that I am unhappy with, I have a number of concerns regarding the specific proposal before you tonight which I should like to bring to your attention.
With respect to this proposed parking lot being a benefit for the community of Lantzville – it has been my observation over my many walks past Pioneer Park that the vast majority of people parking there are NOT FROM LANTZVILLE. This raises the question of whether we should be accepting an amenity that would be used by relatively few of our residents in exchange for a rezoning into a ‘commercial-looking’ parking lot. Remember, Lantzville has consistently told anyone who would listen over the past 10+ years that we are a semi-rural community. This proposal does not respect that!
There is a considerable need for parking for the many activities which occur at Pioneer Park – soccer, football, baseball, rugby, skateboarding and tennis. Many of the current users of Pioneer Park park along the south side of Dover (which will not be available once the Nanaimo portion of this development proceeds), in the curve of Shook and Dover (even though it is posted) and even on the development’s vacant property. It is entirely possible that something like half of the 81 spaces provided by this proposal would be required on a regular basis by those users of Pioneer Park. I say again that the vast majority of them are not from Lantzville and wish to point out that the City of Nanaimo should be responsible for providing adequate parking for its parks.
Mr. Senini (the developer’s lawyer), in his letter to Robert Lapham (District Planner) of Feb. 18/05, states that the rezoning is requested “for the primary purpose of providing parking for the employees of the commercial development proposed for adjacent Lot 2…, general vehicle parking and other uses”. This would appear to change the order of precedence in the report from Mr. Lapham, where employees aren’t even mentioned, and lessen the veracity of the suggestion that this proposal would provide a benefit for Lantzville. Why should Lantzville be responsible for providing employee and customer parking to a Nanaimo development paying taxes to the City of Nanaimo? It appears to me that this is not so much an amenity for the residents of Lantzville as a way for the developer to increase density on his formerly Lantzville property.
Finally, with respect to the proposed landscape berm, 5 metres (16.4’) of landscaping will cut down very little highway noise and light, especially when the initial vegetation will only be something like half its ultimate height. In my opinion, it is a far cry from the buffer required by our OCP. Personally, I would not be unhappy to see the remainder of this property left just as it is today.
Therefore, I urge you to accept option no. 3 and reject this application outright but, in the alternative, I would strongly suggest that you require the Applicant to distribute information flyers and hold a Public Information Meeting before you consider this matter further and HOLD HIM TO IT! Only then will you know whether or not this proposal provides a real benefit in the eyes of Lantzville residents.
THANK YOU
posted by Vigilantz at 2:57 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home