Gibsons council got an insight into the proposed plans for Columbia National Investments (CNI) this week.
CNI CEO Steve Dunton was at Tuesday's meeting to discuss plans for the land CNI bought over the summer, including a recent land purchase on North Road.
Council questioned the use of the North Road land with Dunton, explaining it would be developed fairly quickly with 10 new homes. The Abbotsford-based company purchased 3,286 acres on the Sunshine Coast in July including a proposed deep water port property at McNabb Creek, which was announced last month.
"We've been asked by the province to explore a new industrial port there," said Dunton.CNI owns the mineral rights to McNabb Creek, and although there is high quality slate and close to one million tons of gravel, industrial use is still the best option, according to Dunton.
"The province is very interested in a new port facility for the Sunshine Coast. That means high paying quality jobs," said Dunton. "We are looking forward to putting a proposal together that works for everyone." Dunton also mentioned other land use prospects in Sechelt. "We also own over 21,00 acres in Sechelt. We are looking forward to bringing a plan forward for that over the next year that would see a housing community put in there," he said. "I want to make sure we plan this right. I don't want to change the communities you have here. I want to add an asset to the communities you have here and the only way we can do that is through excellent planning."
Last week at the Sunshine Coast Regional District planning committee meeting, directors decided to allow an extension of the boundaries of the Roberts Creek official community plan (OCP) to include the CNI lands in an upcoming OCP review. This move essentially means development will go through a public process for not only rezoning but also OCP amendments, in keeping with the community's vision.-With files from Patricia Hall
