Town of Gibsons council has approved terms of reference for a committee that will look at revitalizing the “Holland Lands/Cultural Corner” area of Lower Gibsons.
At a June 15 regular council meeting, Coun. Aleria Ladwig volunteered to sit on the committee, which will comprise members from all affected organizations, including the Gibsons and District Public Library, Sunshine Coast Regional District (since it owns the library), School District No. 46, Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives, the Arts Centre and Lower Gibsons Business Association.
The group will be tasked with defining the scope and feasibility for revitalizing the Holland Lands area, to “identify, recommend and prioritize the preferred facility spaces and the needs of the current occupants of the area,” including making a plan for the expansion of the library, suggest other non-profit or commercial occupants that would work in the redeveloped area, make recommendations around community input and explore public-private partnership options for redevelopment, among other duties.
Once established, the committee will be expected to report regularly to council.
Gibsons acting CAO Mark Brown said administration met with library staff in March to determine if they were “willing to work on a greater vision for the Holland Lands area,” and together they established terms of reference for a select committee.
“It’s an exciting opportunity for Gibsons to work with various players of these municipal lands to do some exciting things for the community,” said Brown.
The committee is expected to complete its work by the end of the year, and provide recommendations to council that address space needs for the town, library, museum, school district, arts building and local visitors centre, make the current green space more public friendly and “provide a strong focal point for the Town of Gibsons.”
Mayor Bill Beamish emphasized that public consultation and community dialogue would be included in the process and that it was not a “short-term project by any means.”
All organizations involved “are in need of development, expansion and new, fresh opportunities in their operations,” he said.
Coun. David Croal called it a “great initiative,” and referenced his efforts to find a new location for the Persephone vessel from The Beachcombers television series, which is currently situated at Five Corners.
“When I was working with the museum on their potential expansion to house the Persephone, we suddenly became aware of the library needs and it didn’t make any sense for one of the players to potentially interfere with the other and it became apparent that working together was critical.”
He said he attended the museum’s most recent board meeting and its board was “quite excited” about the initiative.
Previous studies have been conducted in the area, including in the Town’s Harbour Area Plan as part of its Official Community Plan, which says to “support the long-term development of the northern portion of the Holland Lands … for a range of commercial and residential uses.”
