The Town of Gibsons’ quest to expand its tax base and embrace positive change is making considerable progress – and, predictably, encountering pockets of resistance just about every step of the way.
Last week it was the George project clearing its final hurdle amid a whirlwind replay of the 2014 municipal election; before that it was the Town’s support for the Gibsons Public Market which some residents felt was excessive; and pretty soon it will be a major development at Gospel Rock allowed under the 2012 neighbourhood plan that, at the time, received rave reviews from all sides but will now likely be condemned, by a vocal few, as a violation of everything Gibsons stands for.
The latest controversy is over the Town’s agreement to sell the lot next to Christenson Village to Trellis Seniors Services for $2.24 million. The deal, if approved by Vancouver Coastal Health, will enable Trellis to build its for-profit residential care facility in Gibsons instead of Sechelt.
From the Town’s point of view, the deal is like manna from heaven. More than $2 million right off the top from the sale, plus, according to Mayor Wayne Rowe, almost $1 million in development cost charges, $140,000 in building permit fees, and more than $100,000 in annual property taxes. It also means jobs, spinoffs, a less crowded Sechelt Hospital due to 20 new beds in the system, and a virtual guarantee that Gibsons seniors who go into residential care can stay in Gibsons.
How many wins is that?
Not enough for the critics who oppose handing over publicly-funded residential care to a private company. And while that decision ultimately rests with the B.C. government, a related argument especially tailored to Gibsons has emerged: that Thor and Mildred Christenson did not intend the property to be developed for profit. Therefore the Town, as letter writer Marilynn Green puts it this week, is morally, if not legally obligated to honour those wishes.
In this week’s story on the controversy, reporter Sean Eckford outlines the history of the Christenson property. Contrary to popular belief, the Christensons did not donate the four-hectare farm to the Town; they sold it for $195,000, less than half of market value in 1993, and placed conditions on its use. Those conditions were updated in 2005 with a covenant that specified the land could be used for “community health facilities,” among other things.
Bill Merilees, one of the Christensons’ nephews, says the surviving family members would be “very disappointed if this sale went through,” but he also says it should be up to the community to decide if it supports council’s decision.
As with other big decisions of this council aimed at strengthening the Town’s financial health, we expect that broad community support is firmly behind them, even if a casual observer wouldn’t know it by all the controversy in the air.
