The overall benefits from the George Hotel development would be "immeasurable," the planning consultant for the project said Tuesday night.
"The economic benefits to the town far outweigh any other form of development that has been contemplated for this town," Art Phillips told council Nov. 12, as more than 100 people filled the extended gallery at Gibsons town hall for the first formal presentation of the revised George design.
Phillips said the proposed hotel, convention centre and condo project would generate an estimated $1 million a year in municipal property taxes and $11 million a year in spinoff benefits.
"That's when the hotel is actually running at 82 per cent capacity. To get to 82 per cent capacity will take three to five years," he said.
The project will create an estimated 250 man-years of employment during the 18 to 20-month construction window and 130 full-time and part-time jobs, plus seasonal work, after the hotel opens.
To fill the hotel jobs, Phillips said proponent Klaus Fuerniss was working with School District No. 46 and Capilano University to establish a hospitality course on the Sunshine Coast.
"It's not going overseas, because I've heard that criticism as well - that the proponent is going to bring in foreign workers. That is not the case. What is being proposed is to create a local program to bring in local employment."
On the convention side, Phillips said the proponent is looking to bring smaller conferences of up to 200 people to Gibsons, transporting the guests by boat. With 118 rooms in the hotel, other hotels and B&Bs in the area would benefit from the influx, he said.
"We've got an opportunity here to provide an incentive and a catalyst for the lower village. The spinoff benefits to the business community are far reaching. Unfortunately, I've been watching too many businesses on the Coast, and specifically in Gibsons, closing their doors. We need to expand that opportunity," Phillips said.
At the Nov. 2 open house that unveiled the new design, he said, about 275 people came out and 147 comment sheets were completed and turned over to the Town planning department. Of those, 10 were neutral, 15 were against the project and 118 were positive, while three wrote letters of support.
Despite the generally positive response, Phillips said he recognized there was opposition: "I know there are those who disagree about needing it, but I'm a firm believer that once it's built, those who are against it at this time will probably be the first ones who come through that front door."
Addressing the contentious issues of massing, view and height, and the argument that the design does not conform to the harbour area plan, Phillips pointed to a notwithstanding clause within the plan.
"It's that clause we have been following," he said.
The clause, which appears on page 37 of the March 2012 document, states: "Notwithstanding these regulations, or any guidelines or policies in this document pertaining to height, setback or massing, consideration may be given on an individual project basis to variances through an examination of a proposed development's effect on scale, permeability (visual and physically for pedestrians), view protection and enhancement, sun/shadow impact, and on village context and character."
During a question period, resident Roger Swickis noted that many people had invested their time in developing the harbour area plan.
"I'm just wondering if that notwithstanding clause buried deep within renders the whole plan null and void," he said.
Mayor Wayne Rowe said it did not.
"I was on the committee as well, and that clause was put in there at the time because there was the expectation of some sort of proposal coming forward," Rowe said. "So it was put in there specifically to create the possibility of doing something that would be different from what the OCP sets out, if council deems it's worthwhile."
Ellen Besso asked what council's process would be, since the proposed heights of the buildings are so different from official community plan specifications.
"There would be an OCP amendment specifically for that site, and that would be in conjunction with a rezoning, and both would go to public hearing," Rowe said.
Suzanne Senger quoted Phillips on the project team following the notwithstanding clause, arguing the statement meant, "They have been following nothing, with respect to the harbour plan."
Phillips denied that, pointing to the presentation by architect Colleen Dixon that spelled out the harbour plan provisions that had been addressed in the new design.
During her presentation, Dixon said the purchase of 407 and 409 Gower Point Road caused "a paradigm shift almost" in the concept when she took on the redesign in August.
The additional land, she said, created "breathing space" between the two buildings and an overall reduction in density.
The project team's landscape architect, environmental consultant and lead engineer also gave short summaries at the meeting.
The 25-page presentation can be viewed on the Town website at www.gibsons.ca.
