Though the plan has been in place and the ink has been dry for more than a decade, a soon-to-be-started housing development on the edge of Hollyburn Mountain is irking some on West 麻豆传媒映画council.
On February 19, council is scheduled to vote on issuing the final development permits for 21 single-family homes on Rodgers Creek Lane, part of the multi-phase Rodgers Creek Area Plan on the slopes off Cypress Bowl Road. Council adopted the plan in 2008 and rezoned the land in 2011.
The homes range in size from 3,000 to 3,600 square feet on lots just north of Mulgrave School. But being shackled to the 2008 council鈥檚 decision has rankled Councillor Nora Gambioli, given how much has changed in the runaway real estate market since then. Council has lost much of its appetite for creating new luxury homes in the midst of a housing affordability crisis.
鈥淲hy are we allowing this to happen knowing that these houses will cost $5 million, that they will not be bought by anyone, presumably, in the local workforce in the Lower Mainland and arguably could be used for speculation, money laundering, whatever?鈥� she asked at council鈥檚 January 22 meeting.
'This is a disaster'
Gambioli described the surrounding streets as a 鈥渨asteland鈥� with 鈥渄ozens and dozens and dozens鈥� of empty homes.
Council does not have the discretion to revisit a rezoning decision once it has been adopted, though, planning director Jim Bailey said. The Rodgers Creek plan has multi-family developments and duplexes in other phases, Bailey added, and council has the opportunity to include more diverse housing options and price points in the upcoming Cypress Village plan 鈥� a 350-acre masterplanned community on the edge of Hollyburn Mountain.
鈥淪o I guess it鈥檚 a lesson for us that we cannot approve these developments and allow so much time to go by because things are changing so rapidly. We have to change our tactics, because this is a disaster,鈥� Gambioli said.
鈥楴ot for council to meddle鈥�
Councillor Peter Lambur said he agreed with Gambioli鈥檚 sentiments and suggested the district lean on the developer, Ancore Developments, to consider including secondary suites in the 21 new homes.
But Mayor Michael Smith countered it鈥檚 not for council to meddle in the market.
鈥淚 would remind council there is still a market for $5 million single-family houses or they wouldn鈥檛 be building them,鈥� he said.
And, Smith added, the plan to build the homes went through extensive consultations before approval. Earlier iterations of the plan contained many more single-family homes with far less green space, he noted.
鈥淭his was the result of years of working groups, staff reports, and consultant reports 鈥� a lot of good work that was done. I think it鈥檚 very unfortunate that we hear negative comments about that good work that was done by so many in 2006, 2007 and 2008.鈥�
