It was a fairly innocuous announcement last week, but it highlighted, once again, the inconsistencies coming out of Vernon city hall. In a simple, one-
page press release, the city announced creation of the Hesperia Land Corporation to develop and sell the 69-acre Hesperia site on Okanagan Avenue and Apollo Road. And yet it is the same council that questioned the former land and airport corporations, and ultimately downgraded those agencies to advisory committees Jan. 1. “They weren’t working as true corporations. They were still under the direction of council and weren’t stand-alone,” said Mayor Wayne Lippert at the time. So one has to wonder what’s changed in the last six months? If corporations weren’t good enough then, why are they now? And the city has done little to clear up the confusion. “Although the Hesperia Land Corporation will act in an independent capacity, its mandate for development of the lands will clearly reflect council’s vision for an environmentally sustainable
development that meets a variety of housing needs,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham in a release. If the corporation board must follow council’s vision, then it’s not truly independent. Its hands are tied. If anything, Lippert's’ previous comments about the former corporations also ring true in this case — “under the direction of council and weren’t stand alone.” And also consider that the new Hesperia corporation is 100 per cent owned by the city. Council — not the directors — are driving this bus. I’m also left wondering why the city felt the need to establish a separate Hesperia corporation when it has existing infrastructure to deal with land matters. There is the land advisory committee and some of its more long-term members were responsible for major acquisitions such as the Coldstream Hotel site. And back in June, the city advertised for a real estate manager who would negotiate the purchase and sale of property. And council was so serious about that position, it was willing to offer $75,000 a year for 28 hours a week. With these resources already in place, I asked Cunningham why a separate Hesperia corporation was needed. The response I got back was, “It will bring in some expertise that we don’t necessarily have at city hall.” If I was a volunteer member of the land advisory committee, my feelings would be crushed. And $75,000 a year is pretty expensive if you’re not getting the expertise you want. Beyond all of this, there is the entire thrust behind the corporation — to develop and sell the Hesperia lands.
“The Hesperia lands will be developed in a thoughtful and strategic manner, providing an opportunity to showcase the principles of Smart Growth,” states Lippert in a release. Smart Growth? How do the principles of sustainable development fit in with an area that is considerable distance from the central core and not connected to sewer? Sure it would be nice for many of these people to live and work at home, but it’s more likely the new residents will be using their cars. The city’s vision is one we should all want to pursue, but the worst case scenario could be more sprawl. Ultimately, I’m left wondering how much of this Hesperia process actually has to do with the city preparing to sell land so it can pay for a new library/office building if the alternate approval process goes down in flames?
No comments:
Post a Comment