A proposal to merge some properties on the eastern fringe of Elphinstone into the Town of Gibsons will wait until after the Nov. 15 municipal elections before gaining any traction, said staff for the Town.
The property owners, including Wesbild Properties (owners of Gibsons Park Plaza and an adjacent parcel to the west) and HWM Stores Ltd. (owners of the block on the southwest corner of Pratt Road and Highway 101) approached the Town in February 2008 with their proposal.
Given provincial guidelines discouraging jigsaw-like boundaries between municipalities, town staff contacted more property owners to inquire if they'd also like to join. Now, staff are speaking with the owners of nine properties - down from the 13 properties the Town was initially looking at bringing aboard. Not all the owners have indicated they'd like to shift into a new municipality, and the Town will need the consent of two more property owners before forwarding the request to be vetted by the Ministry of Community Development, said chief administrative officer Paul Gipps.
"I don't see anything significant happening in the next two months," he added.
Though Gibsons Park Plaza lies entirely within the Town, Westbild's property to the west of the mall is wholly within Elphinstone's boundaries. The lot was the site of a 2007 proposal to build a Wal-Mart store - something the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) ruled out through restrictive zoning sizes.
SCRD staff have not expressed any issues with the adjustment, and SCRD chief administrative officer John France said unless that happens, there won't be any requirment for the board to vote on it.
