Editor:
I attended the May 11 and May 25 Gibsons planning meetings and wanted to comment, and perhaps further expand on Margot Grants letter (Coast Reporter, May 28).
One of the items at the meeting was a proposed rezoning of 694 Gibsons Way, located on the corner of Crucil Road and Gibsons Way, a lot that is approximately 50 feet by 151 feet, a little over one quarter of an acre, currently on sale for less that $200,000.
The lot was the location of a gas station and is currently a small wasteland of concrete. It presents an ugly approach into Crucil Road and the hillside drive into Creekside. There is no doubt that this land would benefit from development, however, I feel that the proposed rezoning and the general direction that our planning committee is taking, is not good for Gibsons in the long term.
The proposal, presented at the planning meeting, details eight units to be built on this lot, with a maximum height just shy of 35 feet.
I am against building three storey houses in this area, mixed in with single wide mobile homes, duplexes and whatever council feels will expand their tax base. I can understand the need for affordable housing, but pandering to developers' needs to maximize density on small lots is madness and has little to do with making the resulting properties "affordable." In addition, Gibsons council have to step back from their blinkered "build it to the sky" mentality and continue to expand the appeal of Gibsons as a village and a destination to live for the long term, not just a stepping stone to the rest of the Sunshine Coast.
Dave Weldon
Gibsons
