Well over 100 people crowded into the Seaside Centre Tuesday night to have their say on the proposed 343-home residential development slated for West Sechelt dubbed The Trails.
Along with those people (most residents of West Sechelt) a 900-signature petition was presented against the use of Norwest Bay Road as the main access to the property. Under the current plan, Norwest Bay Road would have to be taken from the highway to Lewarne Road (which will be built by the developer) to enter the property. The petition letters stated the plan to use Norwest Bay Road would create an adverse increase in density of traffic, pose a danger to the safety of children attending West Sechelt Elementary School (which is located at the intersection of Norwest Bay Road and Mason Road), create significant costs to the district in upgrading Norwest Bay Road and increase urban sprawl in the district.
The development put forward by Mike and Barry Drummond of Western Eagle Development is comprised of 211 single family residential units and 132 multi-family units set up in townhouse clusters throughout the 75 hectare piece of property.
The development holds high environmental standards and focuses on keeping large areas of green space and preserving natural features of the property. It also provides a network of walking and biking trails for public use and will extend the existing sanitary sewer line into West Sechelt.
All the speakers who stood up to have their say on the project commended the company for its design and project standards; however, they strongly objected to the use of Norwest Bay Road to access the site.
"Very, very few people doubt the ability of the developer to create a first-class subdivision that will be to the credit of all of us in West Sechelt. That's not the question here. The primary concern is the construction traffic and development traffic coming by West Sechelt Elementary School," said Walter Tripp, who lives in West Sechelt and helped canvass the neighbourhood for signatures on the petition.
School board trustee Silas White echoed that statement when he presented a letter signed by four school trustees that said, "In the area of planning and development issues, we respect the authority and expertise of the District of Sechelt council, but to isolate this application to our sphere of concern (the impact it will have on West Sechelt Elementary and its students) we can only express a strong desire that any development representing a threat to our children's safety be averted."
Developer Barry Drum-mond said his company is doing what it can to minimize traffic on Norwest Bay Road, but the access must be used in the beginning of the project until an ulterior access can be built to the highway from the site."It's a huge endeavour to get down there [to the highway]. There's a vertical rock bluff and a very severe drop off. It will take a lot of time and money to get down there," he said.
Drummond plans to build an ulterior access from the highway once the initial phases of the project are complete, but he notes there are huge expenditures that have to be made elsewhere in the beginning of the project.
"In order to build anything we have to extend the sewer line at a cost of over $1 million to get to the project and we have to upgrade the water line from Emerson Road to the highway we have to do all this before we can even sell one house so we can't build the highway access initially," Drummond said.
In order to alleviate some community concerns, Drummond said he plans to have construction vehicles use Norwest Bay Road only to enter the property. Trucks will leave via an old logging road, which he notes is too steep to use as an entrance to the property.
He also said much of the machinery and vehicles needed for the project will be kept onsite, further decreasing the amount of traffic on Norwest Bay Road.
"And we are really looking into getting down to the highway as early as we can, and that will be used as the primary entrance and exit for the property once its built," Drummond said.
Those in attendance at the meeting seemed unhappy with the measures, and most held firm to their belief Norwest Bay Road should not be used at all for the project.
Sechelt Mayor Cam Reid thanked everyone for their comments as he concluded the three-hour meeting and noted council will take all views into consideration before making a decision whether or not to allow the project to go ahead.
This issue should come to council at their next regular meeting Wednesday, Feb. 1.
