Close to 450 people attended the public hearing for the George Hotel and Residences Official Community Plan (OCP) and zoning bylaw amendments on Oct. 1 in the Elphinstone Secondary gymnasium.
Out of 90 speakers at the public hearing – which lasted nearly five hours – the crowd was almost evenly split between support and opposition for the bylaw amendments. Speakers supporting the amendments totalled 40 while speakers in opposition totalled 48. Two people addressed Gibsons staff and council with a neutral opinion on the George.
Gibsons chief corporate officer Selina Williams reported that a total of 575 written submissions were received before and during the public hearing – 400 were in support of the bylaw amendments, 165 were opposed and 10 were neutral.
Gibsons Mayor Wayne Rowe thanked everyone at the end of the meeting for being very well behaved.
“This was an incredibly respectful meeting. Everybody listened to everybody else tonight and I really appreciated that. Thank you,” Rowe said.
Speakers in favour of the bylaw amendments were mostly unified in expressing their opinions that the economy in Gibsons – and on the Sunshine Coast – is badly in need of stimulation, especially after 171 jobs were cut from the Howe Sound Pulp and Paper Mill at the end of July.
Gibsons resident Joan Beck said she supports the George because it will provide infrastructure to support a younger generation on the Coast.
“As the resource sector declines, our town needs to build and strengthen alternative, environmentally responsible business sectors to ensure that we survive as a town and provide for future generations,” Beck said. “We need to establish Gibsons as a welcoming, innovative and vibrant town that encourages employment opportunities at a variety of levels, skills and experiences.”
Owner of More Café in Gibsons, Leslie Thomson, said he opened his first café in Gibsons six years ago. He soon built it into four cafes – all in Gibsons – but after the economic downturn he was forced to close two of them.
“Let’s not think about – in our old age – that we don’t want this or we don’t want that. Let’s think about, what are we going to do for our next generation? How do we make this town survivable?” Thomson asked. “I don’t think the George is going to be the answer to the problem, but I think it’s going to be the stepping stone to our future.”
Speakers in opposition to the bylaw amendments at the public hearing focused mainly on the height of the George and potential contamination in the area.
“While it may not block views from some uphill residential areas, due to the distance from the development, it does block public views as it has a monolithic appearance from Gower Point Road, Winegarden Park and nearby properties,” Marcia Timbres said. “[10.5 metres] vs. [38 metres] is beyond
comprehension.”
André Sobolewksi raised concerns over the environmental assessment done by Balanced Environmental on Dec. 31, 2012. Sobolewski said the assessment was deficient since it only looked at the top half-metre of soil.
“Note that half a metre is the aquifer protection limit for much of this site, below which you cannot excavate,” Sobolewksi said. “Now I ask you, do you know what will happen if there is contamination below this half-metre limit? As a professional in this field, I am certain that soil below the half-metre limit will be contaminated.”
Sobolewski said he didn’t believe the environment minister would allow contaminants to remain in the soil, which would mean extracting them from below the half-metre aquifer protection limit. Which, he said, would be hazardous for the aquifer.
Several speakers like Julia Skippon also addressed a commonly held feeling that there has not been enough opportunity to address council with concerns for the current design of the proposed George Hotel.
“Throughout the development application review process, Mayor Rowe hurried every decision along, explaining that every step was only keeping the process going and that there would be plenty of opportunity to discuss the project and have input at a later date,” Skippon said. “The opportunity to discuss the project has still not occurred.”
Gibsons resident Nick Caputo said council has ignored peer reviews from Levelton and Waterline Engineering firms that warned about the potential for damaging the aquifer.
“To anyone who has been paying attention, your vote on the two bylaws before us seems a foregone conclusion,” Caputo said. “You have chosen to fast-track this project and to ensure that our waterfront will be forever altered, all for one developer.”
The bylaw amendments went to third reading at the Oct. 6 council meeting. They were adopted the same night.
