Editor:
OCPs are a joke. An “Official” Community Plan supposedly reflects the wishes of the people to preserve the character and integrity of the neighbourhoods they live in. But our municipal governments are happy to change the OCP whenever a developer waves money in their faces and asks for an amendment or rezoning.
Take the George – an over-sized construction that destroys the character of lower Gibsons, that blocks views of homes that have been there for decades, that will very possibly have adverse effects on the aquifer.
And now, the owner of the Smitty’s Oyster House and Molly’s Reach buildings wants approval to build a totally out-of-character and out-of-scale building right smack in front of Molly’s Reach. The view from Molly’s windows and deck of the marina, the mountains, is wonderful and enjoyed by tourists and locals. And seen from the outside from the wharf and gazebo and by boaters coming into the harbour, Molly’s Reach is an historic landmark. To block it completely is, on a smaller scale, like building a skyscraper in front of the Statue of Liberty.
Molly’s is an iconic, historic building, it is the very heart of lower Gibsons and pretty much the reason Gibsons is on the map (filming of The Beachcombers for 20 years). I hope the town council has the wisdom to protect it.
If an OCP says that development shouldn’t impact existing views or change the character of a neighbourhood, then why does this happen over and over? Why isn’t more done to protect and to enhance the character of the Sunshine Coast?
Cecilia Ohm-Eriksen, Sechelt