Except for a tiny convenience store at the Langdale Heights RV Park, West Howe Sound has nowhere to shop. But that could change.
At the March 28 community planning commission meeting, SCRD planners and volunteers discussed possible commercial development on 285 acres in Langdale, Ian Winn, SCRD director for Area F, explained on the phone to me recently.
The acreage surrounds the hilltop mansion (itself on 61 acres) that overlooks the ferry terminal. It comprises a number of parcels that were previously YMCA endowment lands.
“If the foreign owners who bought it have something in mind in regards to further development, I don’t know,” Winn said. However, last summer the new owners posted signs suggesting they would build a shopping promenade and hotels.
The West Howe Sound community plan designates properties near Langdale Elementary School as the Neighbourhood Village Centre, which would allow commercial uses. Development on the mansion lands might align with the plan, Winn said.
Speaking of community plans, a revision of the one for Twin Creeks is nearing completion after a slow start in 2015. Public meetings are expected in the fall. Changes to the community plan are likely to support economic development, Winn said.
That’s understandable. Twin Creeks and its next-door neighbour Hillside, two of the three community planning areas in Area F, are teeming with heavy industry compared with the rest of the SCRD. Naturally, they generate a lot of tax revenue, Winn said. Twin Creeks itself contains a mix of industry – mostly log sorts – and homes.
Some Twin Creek residents have a more pressing issue on their mind than industry. Many live with an excessive fear of fire. North of YMCA Road, neither the Gibsons Fire Department nor the mill guarantees fire protection. Howe Sound Pulp and Paper used to protect the Dogpatch neighborhood, Winn said, but when the mill changed hands in 2010, the “gentleman’s agreement” evaporated.
Last August a home in Dogpatch burned to the ground while neighbours waited for help. Residents who attended a West Howe Sound Community Association meeting in February spoke out against the frightening situation. One resident has volunteered to go a step further.
Chris Wilkinson is organizing neighbours who would help each other if ever smoke rises from a home – and Wilkinson’s home on Latona Road is one of the last in the area that might need help. It has cement walls and floors, as well as a metal roof. The 10-acre property is equipped with a 2,000 gallon water tank – just in case.
Five years ago Chris and her husband began construction without knowing the neighbourhood lacked fire protection.
“We found out when we tried to get builder’s insurance. It cost $12,000 per year,” she said. The family bucked up and bought the insurance, but now that construction is further along, they can no longer afford it.
Wilkinson asks people in the non-protected area to call her at 604-785-2767 to get on the list or to email [email protected] with their name, address and phone number, as well as the number of occupants in their home.
The SCRD is considering extending fire protection north of YMCA Road as far as the mill. A cost estimate should be ready in three to four months, Winn said. Because of potential high costs, any extension may come in a series of phases, he said.
I find it odd that the ample taxes from industry in that same neighbourhood can’t foot the bill immediately.
As for other concerns in Area F, West Howe Sound Community Association director Maura Laverty has collected 189 topic surveys from residents. The topics with the most votes will be discussed at future WHSCA meetings. Laverty is tallying the results, which I’ll report on two weeks from now.
In the meantime, please let me know of any events or news in Area F. You can reach me at [email protected]
