FRIDAY DEC 9, 2016
VOL. 42, NO. 50
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Light up Bowen
A night of magic to start the holiday season
Concrete frog
Bowen sculptor’s work unveiled at TransLink station in Coquitlam
Constituents speak: Letters to our MP
Lot 3: Competing interests come to the fore Islanders comment on proposed location of new fire hall, parking lot for Lot 3 would necessarily exclude housing, but the topography of the land also makes new firehall construction and road access to Miller Road easier and less expensive for taxpayers. Taxpayers should benefit from community lands first and not just tax payers,” said Freeman. “Second he argues that the area proposed for the fire hall is excessive, at least in comparison to other communities. The fire hall site, as Peter mentioned, may go on to house our other community services, and so comparing our community Community Lands Lot 3, stretching along Miller Road and onto part of Bowen to others is like comparing Island Trunk Road was purchased by the Municipality in the year 2000 for $5 apples and oranges…” million. The proposal for this land is to amend the Official Community Plan to Freeman went on to urge allow for 1 acre at the northern portion of the land to be used as a fire hall and Mayor and Council to move emergency services operations centre. This location was chosen after a previous ahead quickly rezoning in location would have put many Hood Point residents outside of the 8km zone that order to get the construction allows for cheaper insurance rates. of the fire hall underway as The remainder of Lot 3 is envisioned as a parking lot and as a mixed-use quickly as possible. commercial and residential. In Hocking’s letter to council, he points to stateMERIBETH DEEN ments from the Official Community Plan urging council to EDITOR use community lands for housing, and to create a walkable village in Snug Cove, to back up his argument. Last Wednesday at a public hearing on plans to develop the Finding a good location for the fire hall is challenging. But portion of Bowen Island Community lands Lot 3, there was the scarcity of available land in Snug Cove, with Crippen Park one thing that most islanders seemed to agree on – that the on the sides and ferry access in the middle, makes finding site is not appropriate for a parking lot. However, plans to ded- locations for housing even more challenging… We need a new icate 1 acre of that land to a new fire hall brought the support fire hall, but it does not need to be in the walkable Cove; housof Hood Point residents, who see this as essential to ensuring ing does. greater fire safety to the North end of the island, in opposition Alison Nixon chimed in to support the plea for affordable to others who see the land as ideal for creating much needed housing with a slightly different tack, speaking to the need for housing, and affordable housing in particular. low-cost rental housing for people with disabilities. Hood Point resident Hugh Freeman told council that he “I understand that for many people, probably in this room, essentially agreed with comments made by Peter Frinton, who rental housing is not a priority,” she said. “But there are many said the chosen site for the new fire hall is better than any of people on this island for whom rental housing is a priority and the earlier proposed sites, but strongly opposed zoning the for whom it’s their only way of surviving. As you consider the land to have a primary use of parking. Freeman, however, went needs of our diverse community for adequate units, you also on to oppose three specific points in a letter written to council consider this community who are also suffering from a disabilby David Hocking, who was unable to attend the meeting. ity, these people are also valuable members of our community. “He argues that Lot 3 is relatively flat and therefore easier As you are well aware, there is a wide variety of disabilities for affordable housing development. I don’t think the plan
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ranging from physical to psychiatric and we have members of all of these groups amongst our population. People living with have a disability have a highly restrictive monthly income, the current monthly allowance is roughly $900 per month. Clearly, rental units which are more than $700 per month, which most are, are entirely out of reach for people on such income restrictions.” In an interview following the meeting, Nixon told The Undercurrent, that her plea for rental housing with subsidized units was a way of stating her belief that Lot 3 would be the ideal spot for such housing on Bowen. “The whole lot should be housing, not a firehall,” she says. “Environmentally speaking we need a village that is walkable to the Cove, and I know that working with BC Housing there is a way to get rental units subsidized.” The OCP and bylaw amendments that would allow the proposed changes to take place were passed through second reading by council on October 11. Public comments on the plan are now officially closed, but will be taken into consideration by council before moving forward.
Blasters on Bowen Island Trunk Road widening the ferry lane. Depending on the weather, this project will be completed by early next week. Meribeth Deen, photo
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