Sechelt Mayor Cam Reid is exercising his authority under the provincial Community Charter to hold a second final vote on the Silverback development at the upcoming May 7 council meeting.
The 1,600-unit, 162-hectare residential and resort community slated to be built in Sandy Hook was thought to be dead and buried after council defeated a motion to adopt the official community plan (OCP) amendment after a tense four to three vote in front of a packed gallery on April 2.
"Having heard reactions from the community, we're surprised at the direction taken by council [on April 2]," Reid said. "People on the street are voicing their concerns."
Re-considering a motion to adopt the OCP bylaw amendment is possible under Section 131 of the charter, which allows a mayor (or two councillors) in any B.C. municipality to bring back a bylaw within 30 days of its defeat. Giving final reading to both the OCP motion and the comprehensive development (CD-13) zoning on May 7 would give the green light to develop Silverback.
It's not an appealing idea to Sandy Hook residents like Sue Jackel, who views the public process for the development, as set out under the District's procedural bylaw, to be flawed.
"We have treated this 1,600-unit comprehensive development application in the same way we review 30-house subdivisions, without taking proper account of the huge impacts on our community," she said in a letter written to council earlier this week. "Regrettably, the process has locked us into a single win/lose decision at May 7 council. It's not fair to councillors, and it's not in the best interest of Sechelt residents, most of whom have only the skimpiest notion of what's in the Silverback proposal and how it will affect us."
Reid didn't disclose any new offer from developer Gabriel Khoury that would have prompted a reconsideration of the bylaw. As things stand, an $8 million offer by Khoury towards new sewer capacity for the District remains on the table.
"There's been a number of times council's had this sober second thought on a matter," said Reid. The Community Charter provision was last used when council reconsidered the Wakefield bistro and liquor store proposal, which ultimately led to the defeat of the bylaw.
