To the editor:
I am writing in response to Peggy Southin’s letter in the Capital News, regarding the PeachTree development.
The reason why residents did not attend the public hearing in June 2017, was because unlike Chamber members they did not have a reminder emailed to them to attend and support the development. Peachland was in a state of emergency at the time and residents were busy bailing out their homes from the flooding. Most residents also had faith in council to stick to the three-storey policy stated in our Official Community Plan.
Ms. Southin states that council should not take notice of a group that has been against development for the last 15 years. However, I would hope that she would agree that council should take notice of the 75 per cent of written submissions that objected to the change in our Official Community Plan to accommodate the developer. (There were) 300 plus residents who attended the public hearing who were overwhelmingly opposed to the change in our OCP, out of which 75 residents spoke expressing their objection to this change, and nine who supported it.
Yes, some residents may have shown their frustration at times when the bias at meetings was so blatantly in favour of the developer by council, which is human nature. This bias was demonstrated by the fact that the mayor allowed applause after the developer’s speech at the public hearing, but no applause was allowed after the objectors spoke who were each limited to a three minute speech, unlike the developer who spoke for 13 minutes.
Rather than be embarrassed I am very proud to live in a town where residents who live all over Peachland, not just near the development, care so much about the charm and uniqueness of their downtown being destroyed that they will come out in force to defend it.
G. Evans, Peachland
To report a typo, email: edit@kelownacapnews.com.
<>@KelownaCapNews
newstips@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.