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THE BULLETIN Council hears opposition to subdivision
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PROUDLY SERVING KIMBERLEY AND AREA SINCE 1932 | Vol. 82, Issue 207 | www.dailybulletin.ca PUBLIC HEARING
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Belting it out at Home Grown
St. Mary Lake Road residents not happy with additional housing development C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
Kimberley City Council held a public hearing Monday evening to hear from residents on a proposed amendment to the Official Community Plan and a zoning amendment on a piece of land currently owned by the Kimberley Golf Club. The 9.6 hectare (23 acre) parcel of land is currently designated as Golf Course in the OCP and the bylaw would change it to Low Density Residential, Open Space and Parkland. Zoning would change to Low Density Residential Zone R-13 from Community Recreation P-3. While there had been some discussion at Council about the ramifications of allowing the subdivision to use septic systems rather than city sewer, that was not something Council heard about at the hearing. The concerns voiced at the meeting came from the same group, St. Mary Lake Road residents, who are not on board with the subdivision at all. “We love our area and are quite protective of it, maybe too protective, but that’s how we feel,” said spokesperson Cheryl Olsen. Olsen told Council that the St. Mary Valley part of the Kimberley Rural OCP has goals which include maintaining the rural character of the area and protecting wildlife habitat. A key component of rural character is open space, Olsen said. “This is another stepping stone to more sprawl,” she said. “Especially when other subdivisions in the city are nowhere near full.” Development is also the largest threat to wildlife in the St. Mary Valley, Olson says. That particular piece of land is a valuable wildlife corridor between the river and Sunflower Hill. While no one else attended the meeting to speak, it turns out the city neglected to post signs about the proposed zoning change and therefore the hearing was adjourned to the next meeting of Council on November 10, where there will be one more opportunity to speak in support or opposition to the zoning change.
JOHN ALLEN PHOTO
Sheva and Friends (Shelagh and Van Redecopp with Drew Lyall) belt out a number at the Home Grown Music Society Coffee House last Saturday night at Centre 64. See page 3 for much more from Home Grown.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Candidate Doug Johnson responds Mayoral candidate Doug Johnson has sent in the following response to the recent discussion on economic development strategy by candidate Don McCormick and Mayor Ron McRae. Dear Don and Mayor Ron: I’ve read your economic development strategies, composed for the benefit of Kimberley’s long suffering tax payers. Read each one five times, I did. My first impulse was to run outside, start up my truck, and go and vote for you both. Then reality set in and I realized that a) the polls weren’t open yet and b) I think I am going to throw my lot in with another candidate I have in mind.
Doug Johnson
Apart from that, the strategies seem sophisticated, with lots of real neat big words, and quite uplifting. Respectfully though, honourable opposing candidates, Kimberley’s 6,000 plus residents have been there, done that, seen it before, and bought the t-shirt. Besides, what company in their right mind would invest in a community with a crippling (and growing) deficit, where the infrastructure is balanced on the edge of disaster and whose company employees won’t be able to pay their property taxes? Moving along, I find all this talk about community discussion, committees, and integration very commendable. I would love to sit down with
each of you right away and get started. However, I’d like to meet on my turf. After all, it’s much too crowded to meet at city hall now. We could meet in Don McCormick’s campaign headquarters but it’s much too overwhelming since it is bigger than the house I share with my spouse. However, I am willing to meet with you any time, 24 hours a day, at your convenience. I only ask that you please give me five minutes advance notice by telephone so that I can arrange not to be there. Doug Johnson Mayoral Candidate