Gibsons resident Marcia Timbres addressed Gibsons council at the Sept. 1 meeting with a petition containing more than 2,100 signatures opposing the current design of the proposed George Hotel and Residences project.
Timbres spoke on behalf of the Gibsons Waterfront Defense Association (GWDA) as well as the Gibsons Alliance of Business and Community Society (GABCS).
“The hotel, condo and marina project currently proposed for Gibsons waterfront does not comply with the Town of Gibsons Official Community Plan (OCP), and it never did,” Timbres said.
The petition extends beyond residents of Gibsons. Signatories also include residents from all over the Coast as well as visiting tourists.
“This is not an error or an oversight,” Timbres said. “It reflects how this project is about much more than the local community – how it has far-reaching implications for the town.”
The petition demands four things from council:
• To “ensure that building or development permits in the harbour area of Gibsons for any development application comply with the form and character policies set out in the [OCP].”
• “That council guarantee Gibsons aquifer will not be placed at risk by development.”
• “That council safeguard Gibsons Harbour from the spread of toxic contamination.”
• And that “council protect the Town from any and all tax burden as a result of the George Hotel and Residences project.”
Timbres said many of the people she spoke to are “disheartened because they feel they have had no chance to influence the process.”
She pointed out the petition was conducted online as well as on paper.
“We are not able to formally vet it in such a way that we can be absolutely sure that none of the 2,100 signatures are duplicates,” she said.
Gibsons Mayor Wayne Rowe thanked Timbres for her presentation.
There will be a public information meeting for the George on Sept. 24 at 5 p.m., followed by a public hearing on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. Locations are not yet determined.
