Landing residents balk at development

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: October 17, 2008

Alarm bells are being rung over a proposed development in a Vernon neighbourhood. Residents are protesting a rezoning application before city hall for the 6200 block of Okanagan Landing Road. “If a petition is necessary, I will take those steps and canvass the neighbourhoods in the Okanagan Landing area,” said resident Jim Cameron. The property owner is proposing to rezone the 6.49-acre vacant site from mobile home residential to four-plex residential. Cameron is opposed to increased density. “The city wants to pave everything over. It’s not that I don’t want people around me, but I don’t want it destroyed,” he said. Under current zoning, 52 mobile homes would be allowed while the developer is proposing 63 single-family, duplex and four-plex units, and city staff are recommending 60 units. Cameron says there is a high water table in the area and the scope of construction would negatively impact his property and others. “If they preload that area, we will be flooded out. They will flood our septic tanks.” There are also concerns about increased traffic and that construction will destroy wetlands on the site. “We have deer, coyotes and multiple varieties of birds. There’s a couple of huge owls there,” said resident Vickie Urich.Urich could accept mobile home development on the property but not at the expense of the environment. “We’d prefer, if at all possible, to save it,” she said. Ulrich also suggests the proposed development could financially impact existing residents if they are forced to hook on to sewer. “We don’t want it,” she said.

Dale Rintoul, a city planner, says environmental issues are being considered and the developer would have to relocate wetland on the property to make way for a new road. “The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee is not interested in owning any wetland,” he said. In terms of the water table, Rintoul says preloading would also be necessary if mobile homes were built. “If they cause (water) damage to neighbouring properties, the engineer and developer will have to be responsible for it,” he said. A representative for the developer says market demands have driven plans for duplexes, four-plexes and single-family homes. “The property has been available for mobile homes for 20 to 25 years and nothing has happened,” said Wilf Lunde, an architect, adding that the project must be financial reasonable to bring water and sewer services in. “The land also really slopes up to Okanagan Avenue and that’s not reasonable for mobiles.” Lunde doesn’t believe the proposal will impact the neighbours. “Regardless of how the property develops, it will increase traffic,” he said. And Lunde says the developer is committed to enhancing wetlands, but keeping the entire site entirely for park is not on the table. “That’s beyond the developer’s mandate. That’s up to parks and recreation to work on it.”

It’s anticipated city council will consider the rezoning application at its Oct. 27 meeting.