A new sinkhole is developing in Sechelt’s Seawatch neighbourhood as some residents are ratcheting up the pressure on the district.
Sinkholes and related geotechnical issues spanning several years have already forced one family from its home, led to the denial of occupancy permits for another home, and forced the district to close off some sections of road.
The new sinkhole was spotted last week on a vacant lot in the 6600 block of Gale Avenue North.
According to the District of Sechelt, residents were notified on Sept. 20 and the barricade blocking that section of Gale was moved 20 metres further down the road “as a precaution.”
The district also said its engineering consultant continues to monitor the neighbourhood and it will be providing updates to residents.
On Sept. 6, the owners of two properties on Gale Avenue North, Rod and Donna Goy and Chris and Joanna Moradian, wrote the district to complain about being excluded from “discussions for solutions and potential settlements” that they say are ongoing between “the district, their lawyers and [developer] Concordia.”
They also claim the district refused to release documents related to the history of the development that purport to show “the land where our homes are built was deemed to be unsuitable for development and prohibited from any development” without an FOI request, forcing homeowners to use other means to get those reports.
“This type of conduct is unacceptable from elected public officials,” the letter, which was also copied to media outlets and several candidates for council in the upcoming election, said. “We demand a meeting to discuss the aforementioned issues and seek an explanation for this process.”
The Goys and Moradians are not currently involved in any legal action against the district or the developer, but other neighbourhood property owners are. The district also has a court case ongoing against the developer.
