The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee has voted 4-3 to reject Coldstream's plan to give 91-thousand dollars back to the developer of Coldstream Meadows seniors facility, in exchange for 2.5 acres of proposed park land on Mackie Drive. Mayor Jim Garlick says the park would have benefitted the whole area, not just his community. "To put a passive park there is not going to be costly later on, and in the long run, will serve the larger community, and I think it's a mistake." Garlick says the current parks structure works for adding new facilities like the Rec Centre, Performing Arts Centre and Multiplex, but not for land-use decisions like this. "It's that inflexibility which creates the problems, these friction points. I think in other areas of parks it really makes sense to work together as a collective." Vernon director Jack Gilroy voted for the cash, saying there's already a no-build covenant on the land. "So why would we purchase this to make a park that we'll never make, when there's already the buffer there? And we could use that 90-thousand dollars for kid's parks. I'm all for kiddie parks in neighborhoods. That's what I want to see." Garlick says the decision could hold back plans for a dementia-Alzheimer's facility at the site, as it will mean additional costs. "It holds it back." Garlick says they will look at ways to buy the land to keep the development from stalling. "We have to look at what are our resources are to move ahead on this. We've put all of our financials resources into the collective until now....and now maybe it's time to rethink things." Gilroy says if Coldstream wants that land, they should buy it and look after it themselves. "It's nothing against Coldstream. It's just following the policy of the collective. If you didn't have a policy, it would be like following a shotgun start out here." BX Swan Lake director Mike Gavinchuk explains why he cast the deciding vote in favour of the cash, as opposed to the park land. "Because that park will never get developed. Simple as that."
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| Greater Vernon Advisory Committee | Thursday, September 8, 2011 - 8:00 am | Agenda (9.68MB PDF) |
- Staff report dated August 29, 2011
1 comment:
Unless the players around the table significantly change come the municipal elections. I doubt that Coldstream will remain in the Parks function. So much time and effort is wasted in these pointless meetings that one can begin to actual measure the greenhouse gasses generated!
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