Sechelt Sustainable Community (SSC) Properties is cancelling several summer events in order to “focus resources on the unpredictable zoning amendment process with the District of Sechelt.”
Calling it “a very sad day for us at SSC,” interim CEO Werner Hofstätter sent a press release to media outlets this week saying SSC will cancel this year’s paddling festival, electric vehicle festival and development of its urban demonstration garden.
“Financial support for the Sechelt Arts Festival (to which SSC donated $3,000 in 2015 and $5,000 in 2016), as well as participation in projects such as the art crawl, will also be deferred until further notice,” the release said.
By putting off those events, SSC plans to devote more time to the development process for its 170-hectare project near Porpoise Bay Provincial Park, which started about three years ago.
“We have experienced tremendous community support ever since we started in July 2014,” Hofstätter said. “Unfortunately, we’re not any closer to realizing that vision than we were 36 months ago, so we need to focus on that.”
Hofstätter said SSC is eager to get its project past first reading, which was given in April of last year but rescinded by council six months later due to a changing appendix list and confusion over the height of proposed buildings.
Since that time, the district has asked for reports and SSC has prepared them, Hofstätter said, but the needed zoning and official community plan amendments for the project have not made it back to the council table for discussion or a vote.
Hofstätter said he hopes at least one councillor will speak to the “lengthy delays” and help get the ball rolling soon.
“After all, [council was] promised the chance to vote on having a public hearing on our project when they requested the updated landslide and traffic studies when they unanimously gave us first reading in April 2016,” he said, noting those reports were available last summer.
“They were also promised that our project would be brought back quickly to reinstate the first reading when they rescinded it last October. That was eight months ago. We are hoping that at least one of them would think this is odd.”
In an emailed statement to Coast Reporter, Sechelt Mayor Bruce Milne said SSC’s move “is entirely their choice and their decision. It seems a bit bizarre, but it is their business.”
He added, however, that SSC “should simply take responsibility for their financial priorities and not attempt to blame others” for their decisions.
“Twisting this situation into an attack on the District of Sechelt simply raises questions about their motives and intent,” Milne said. “In my view, the SSC media release reveals the tactics of a development group who suspect their project may not succeed on its own merit and believe that public pressure is a more likely way to get approvals.”
Council, he said, “does not play favourites and does not cave in to intimidation. We expect everyone to follow the same open and transparent process and all will be treated equally.”
