Editor:
Re: Your story on the contentious subdivision in Halfmoon Bay (Coast Reporter, June 22).
Having attended the meeting on June 13 and listened to both parties, I have to say that this is not a "one-off" subdivision - it is a precedent setting change to zoning.
There is clearly a much bigger issue than the Browns wanting to sub-divide their property and the Focklers opposing it. This is a change to the official community plan and the introduction of new zoning to allow 8,000 square metre lots to be created. It is a densification of the neighbourhood and should be discussed by the community at large and by other Sunshine Coast Regional District areas rather than rolled into a discussion of one person wanting to sub-divide their lot.
What I witnessed on June 13 was not the division of a lot, it was the division of a community.
It is time for this application to be put on hold. As taxpayers we cannot afford to have SCRD staff devote a substantial amount of their time to one file. If these amendments are passed, there will be many more versions of "Brown versus Fockler" in Halfmoon Bay and the rest of the SCRD.
There is zoning in place which currently allows the Browns to build a second home for rental purposes or to stratify their lot. Their application should have been rejected months ago. Now is the time to stop this process and avoid further costs to the taxpayers.
David Cox
Halfmoon Bay
