More than 120 people packed Char’s Landing last week to hear about two major developments proposed for the Alberni Valley: the Somass Lands on the Alberni Harbour waterfront and Pacific Mayfair Estates on upper Burde Street.
Three themes emerged from an hour-long public question period: how many people could potentially live in these developments and where will they be housed; how will the city service the areas for things like water supply, sewage and roads; and people don’t want to lose their greenspace.
The panel discussion was put on by Alberni Valley Transition Town, and is the first in a series of talks planned this year on issues facing Port Alberni.
The panel was comprised of AV Transition Town president Chris Alemany, Tseshaht First Nation Elected Chief Councillor Wahmeesh (Ken Watts), Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce president Terry Deakin, Westplan Consulting Group principal Teunesha Evertse (representing Pacific Mayfair Estates), City of Port Alberni Director of Development Services Scott Smith and Sandy McRuer from the Alberni Valley Nature Club. Each panelist was given an opportunity to share their views on these developments and answer a question from moderator Mike Youds.
Evertse and Smith were in the hot seats for much of the night, as questions were directed for the most part to the two of them. Youds kept the questions on topic.
Housing, contamination, flooding are Somass Lands concerns
Watts spoke of the value of engaging with the city in the Official Community Plan review process. It is law in British Columbia that developers must consult with First Nations before any development takes place. He said Somass Lands developers Matthews West engaged with First Nations when they developed waterfront in Squamish, which he sees as a positive move for Port Alberni.
One relative newcomer to Port Alberni disagreed. He said he moved to Port Alberni from Squamish and “it’s not a future I want for Port Alberni…You think the housing crisis is bad here. It’s awful (in Squamish),” he said.
Another person asked about contaminated soil on the Somass Lands site, which operated as a sawmill for more than 50 years. Smith said the city received a million-dollar grant to take care of immediate soil remediation, and any other work will be negotiated with the developer. It will be dependent on what the developer wants to do with the land, he added.
The Somass Lands were infilled starting around the time rail came to the Alberni Valley, in 1911-12. Alemany heads an AVTT sub-committee that would like to see that area reclaimed as an estuary, with development brought back as far as Third Avenue. There are concerns that the Somass Lands lie directly in a flood plain and a tsunami inundation zone.
“The perspective is not one of no development. I see it more as restoration or rejuvenation of something that was there in the past,” said Alemany.
Many questions about Burde Street development
Many people had questions about development on upper Burde Street, specifically on land owned by San Group Inc. that surrounds the Burde Street Beaver Ponds. The Log Train Trail dissects a portion of the property.
Evertse said Pacific Mayfair Estates is “not a done deal. It’s at the very beginning of the process,” she said.
“The plan is different than what you saw before. It’s less than half the density…there has been some listening.”
Developers have submitted a plan to the City of Port Alberni which is under review. There is no timeline for rezoning requests or development permit applications. There will be a rigorous public process, Smith said.
Irene Bilton asked whether the Burde Street beaver ponds are the best place for housing or development given that they are wetlands and Evertse acknowledged that it was a “fair question. Ultimately that balance has to be struck through these democratic processes.”
Evertse said planners are under increasing pressure from the provincial government to build more housing.
Judith Reeves, a forester who moved to the Alberni Valley a year ago from the Vancouver area, said she is concerned about what will happen to the water in the ponds and on the land once development begins. “I don’t know the hydrology of that area, but I have walked in there,” she said. “How is (water) going to be diverted, and is it the best use of a developer’s money?”
She suggested the city concentrate on developing areas taken up by large, vacant parking lots before turning toward existing greenspace, which has its own animal and bird residents.
(Several people brought up the “parking lots” in Uptown Port Alberni that have been vacant since Zellers closed on Third Avenue more than a decade ago. Another developer, Chris Le Fevre from Victoria, owns the property and has a phased plan proposed for what he calls Woodwards Village. The first fourplex is already in development.)
READ: Victoria developer unveils first phase of Woodwards Village concept
“If you want to build houses for people, that’s a good thing. I also know there are other places more suitable for housing, and that should be considered by the city,” Reeves said.
Smith encouraged Reeves to participate in the OCP public engagement sessions, which will help form a growth plan for the city.
Growth management lies in Official Community Plan
Smith said the OCP process will include environmental development plans, which the present OCP does not have. This process—as well as public input—could see protections being written into the planning document to protect wildlife corridors, as an example.
The overarching message from all panelists was that residents can have a say in how the city is developed by getting involved in the Official Community Plan process.
“This is really our collective future we’re talking about,” Youds said. “I think it’s worth noting that the OCP is really a vision statement for the future of the community for the next 20 years.”
READ: Residents have a say in City of Port Alberni’s vision
Youds passed on a message from Mayor Sharie Minions, who couldn’t attend the meeting, that the OCP “is more important than any elected councillor.”
Alemany said he thinks the community should be looking even further than 20 years in the future—and gauge where we want to be 100 years from now.
Watts shared a similar message, having recently gone through a land use plan process with the Tseshaht community. He added that it is important to bring young people into the planning process. “We’re leaving something for our kids at the end of the day.”
Next steps for OCP
The City of Port Alberni will hold public engagement sessions for the Official Community Plan on Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 from 4:30–8:30 p.m. at Echo Centre (4255 Wallace St.) in the Cedar Room. No registration is required.
There is also an online engagement process that people can access starting Feb. 8 and running until Feb. 19 on the city’s OCP website at letsconnectpa/ocp.
Next panel in series: Climate change
Alberni Valley Transition Town will host the second panel discussion in its series on Thursday, Feb. 22 with the topic Climate Change Impacts in the Alberni Valley. The session begins at 7 p.m. at Char’s Landing, 4815 Argyle St.
For more details follow their website at avtransitiontown.org and click on the Agendas, Blog and More link.
Edited: Date for climate change panel has changed due to a conflict.