Bowen Bulletin

In the world of municipal politics we are now entering the Silly Season.  It is only a few months before the next municipal elections. This is the time when our local councillors look back over the last two and a half years and ahead to the next election in November. They think back to the commitments they made to the electorate in the last campaign and ahead to how they might be received during the next campaign. This has quite an effect on how they act on council. On the one hand, there is a perceived need to complete some of the projects undertaken at the beginning of their mandate. On the other, there is a greater cautiousness when dealing with potentially controversial issues. Because of this you’re not likely to see any new development proposals coming forward this year. However, we do have a couple of interesting issues that council might have an opportunity to work on.

The first is the proposed Cape Roger Curtis development. There is no proposal currently before council. However, the owners may try to get something on the agenda within the next month or so. I’m guessing that, if they do submit a rezoning application there will be no Official Community Plan (OCP) changes involved. If they were to ask for so much density that the OCP has to be amended to accommodate them the issue would come under consideration right in the middle of the next election campaign. And that is a very treacherous place for any would-be developer. If it is a rezoning within the OCP, council may entertain it simply to get the matter dealt with. The creation of a major park on the Cape was a major issue in the last election and some councillors may consider it an accomplishment worthy of the three years they spent serving on council.

The second interesting item is the sale of the Surplus Lands. When we borrowed the money to buy the 39 acres from the GVRD, I think there was an understanding between council and the electorate that moves would be made within a couple of years to sell off enough land to repay the debt. Shortly after the last election a very detailed process was undertaken to look at the individual pieces of property, at our future civic facility needs, at ferry marshalling options, at affordable housing needs, at senior’s housing, at economic development areas and finally at a detailed long range plan for Snug Cove. All of the task forces, committees, working groups and consultants have now tabled reports. So where are we? In a practical sense we’re pretty much where we started.  Our sewer system will have to be upgraded to accommodate almost any new construction in Snug Cove. We knew that before we started. We applied for provincial government funding to help pay for an expansion of our treatment plant. We got turned down. Now council has the option of looking at those pieces of surplus land that lie outside of Snug Cove (across from the school to beyond the works yard). That land could be developed with on-site septic fields.

Here’s where it gets interesting. To repay the Surplus Lands debt in a timely manner, council would have to amend the OCP, rezone some land and put it up for sale.  Beyond retiring the debt, it could provide land for lower cost housing, create an economic opportunity zone and give the next council a much freer hand without an unpaid mortgage hanging over their head. Or they could put everything on hold until the sewer issue is worked out, which will take several years at best.

So, what will they do? The political landscape has changed somewhat on Bowen in the last few years and several of our councillors may want to see which direction the political winds are blowing before committing to any irreversible action. Our typical pro and anti development issues have a new twist. The concept of sustainability has somehow morphed into sustainable development. The new concepts include ideas such as smart growth and eco-density. What started out as finding alternatives to fossil fuels has been transformed into an entire philosophy that espouses high-density green development combined with leaving undeveloped areas completely and totally undeveloped. Those who have jumped on the smart growth band wagon include a diversity of people ranging from land developers to concerned environmentalists to municipal councillors.

So now we have those on council who see the surplus lands as an appreciating asset. They’re in no hurry to sell it as long as it keeps increasing in value. We have those who see the land as our opportunity to execute smart growth principals to accomplish eco-density ideals. And we have those who would just as soon see the Surplus Lands remain park. So who is going to be pragmatic enough to champion the cause of selling off some land just to pay off our debt and get the ball rolling? As one mentally looks around the council table one is hard pressed to see a councillor likely to lead the charge.   We may be entering the Silly Season but nobody is going to be THAT silly.