Mayor Wayne Rowe and Councillors Jeremy Valeriote and Charlene SanJenko voted July 11 in favour of a bylaw closing Winn Road following strong opposition from 15 area residents. One speaker did not object to the closure, and Councillors Silas White and Stafford Lumley were not in attendance.
Three more residents submitted written comments opposing the closure, said town planner Andre Boel, with one more expressing concern and a fifth requesting more information.
Council voted to transfer the 950-square-metre portion of Winn Road between Gower Point Road and the water to Klaus and Monika Fuerniss. In exchange, the couple will “dedicate or transfer” a parcel of the same size to the town for a plaza between the proposed George Hotel on the waterfront and the George Residences building.
The town will also transfer the air-space rights below the plaza to Klaus and Monika Fuerniss for use as a two or three-level underground parkade for $61,600.
The Fuernisses will sign covenants to construct and maintain the plaza and to grant the public the right to use the plaza. The plaza will be constructed on an angle to the shore, precluding views of the waterfront from the remaining part of Winn Road.
Dr. Dorothy Riddle, who is unable to walk more than 12 meters, has launched a human-rights complaint against the town, claiming the closure of the road will prevent her from reaching the waterfront. The plaza is not open to vehicles.
At the council meeting, Riddle wondered why the town would not wait for the outcome of her complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal.
“The town will face financial consequences if it loses the case,” she said. “What is the haste? Why not ask the developer for a different design in the meantime?”
She said she raised concerns over access to the waterfront for people with disabilities with the town in 2015 and 2016, but found no willingness to discuss the issue.
Related: “Council could have had a glass of wine instead of voting on Winn Road”
Related: Letter to Gibsons council: “We would be affected by closure of Winn Road”
Marcia Timbres asked Rowe if he was aware of section 25 of the Community Charter prohibiting municipalities from giving benefits, advantages or assistance to businesses. She strongly opposed the sale of the air-rights parcel.
Rowe did not respond to any questions and, at times, appeared not to pay attention to the speakers.
Former town councillor Lee Ann Johnson asked what would happen if the ownership of the underground air-rights parcel changes hands. “And what happens if the building no longer exists, or does not get built? Or if construction is abandoned halfway?”
She requested to see specific plans for the plaza and the parkade. “Why are they not available to the public?” she asked.
The town calls the arrangement with the developer a land exchange, she said, but “what is being traded here?”
Johnson took issue with the appraisal, and said the price should reflect the real cost to replace the road.
Judy Bonkoff called the land transfer “a non-transparent deal” and wondered why it was phrased in such a way that the public “could not understand it.” She also asked why the town would only want $61,600 for the underground air-space if there is no money for road maintenance.
Michael Storr said the plaza would stop him from walking to the water with his kayak, and objected to the design.
“This is not a plaza in the Italian or Spanish meaning of the word,” he said. “It is an alleyway between two high buildings with a bench and some planters.”
Roger Swickis asked why the town is making haste to sign over the road at a time when the project does not yet have the required environmental permits, and the aquifer issue has not been resolved. “Suppose the project does not proceed, what rights does this road transfer give the developer?”
Suzanne Senger asked Rowe if the town had obtained legal advice before the road closure. The mayor did not answer. Senger called his response “disrespectful,” adding “you are public servants, public representatives, and you should act that way.”
Heather Jeal asked if the disabled could access the water by way of the underground parkade. “It depends on how you see it,” town planner Boel answered.
Jeal finds the hill section of Winn Road daunting, and was relieved to have confirmation that the plaza will provide a much easier route from the seawalk to Gower Point Road.
Heather Conn said she launches her kayak from Winn Road and asked Rowe if he personally benefits from the agreement with the developer. Rowe answered said he does not — the only time he spoke during the comments.
Janet Crosby, who lives on the corner of Abbs and Winn Road, became emotional about the George development.
“I have been ignored, my concerns have been dismissed,” she said. “I walk down Winn Road every day, we love it here. But things are being taken away from us. We don’t feel the benefits of this development. Instead, we suffer the consequences. Our views will be obstructed, and now we will have this big thing [Eagleview Heights] behind us as well. We will suffer from light pollution at night. I’m concerned about the aquifer and our environment.
“We asked for the George to be lower, it went higher,” she added. “I am losing faith here. I don’t trust the developer. He will own Winn Road and do with it what he wants. Maybe not now, but later. Mayor Rowe and council, don’t sell us out again, please listen to us.”
Sarama, who lives on Winn Road, said a good connection to the water is key to this community. “I walk on this road every day. It is the only reason we bought here,” he said, adding council does not have “one iota of concern” over the loss of views of the water.
Sarama also questioned the price for the underground parcel. “Is this development viable without Winn Road? No. So then what is the value?”
Sarama became emotional, stating: “Mayor Rowe, you are cheating the public of Gibsons. It is shameful. If you pass this bylaw, I have zero respect for you. I am very angry with you.”
Michael Bonkoff said he agreed with every comment made by the preceding speakers: “If you can’t even answer questions, that tells me there is something very wrong here.”
An unidentified woman told the mayor she was very upset he did not look at the members of the public making submissions, and did not answer questions.
Kenji Akimoto agreed. “You failed as mayor,” he said. “You are supposed to bring the community together, and you have not done that. So I do not trust what you are doing, I do not trust this process.”
Rainer Berkenhagen was not opposed to the bylaw, but was concerned about division in the community over the issue, saying a back-up plan is needed in case the project does not go ahead.
Judith Hammill said she was personally affected by the loss of the water view and objected to what she called “this give-away to the developer.” She called the town unethical for notifying the public on a holiday weekend in the middle of summer of its intention to close Winn Road.
She questioned whether the public would have full-time access to the plaza in perpetuity and branded the decision to close the road premature, since the developer has not yet solved contamination and aquifer issues.
After the submissions, Rowe said many comments did not specifically address the issue of the closure of Winn Road and that these comments could have been made at the public hearing rather than at this stage. The bylaw is just part of the procedure, he said, and the town will own the plaza and and have complete control of it, adding that the plaza preserves water access for the public.
Councillor Valeriote pointed out that the decision to dispose of Winn Road was made 18 months ago and that the bylaw was just part of the process. “It is complicated, but part of a sequence of events set out in the development agreement,” he said, adding that he understood that people didn’t like it and were emotional about it.
If the project does not proceed or gets abandoned, the town still owns the area, Valeriote said. Boel added that provisions to cover the possibility that the project does not proceed are part of the agreement. “The public will still have access.”
Valeriote called the assessment for the underground parcel adequate. “It makes sense that underground space is not worth very much.”
Chief administrative officer Emanuel Machado added that $61,600 is reasonable because the parcel can only be used by the developer.
Charlene SanJenko did not comment.
The bylaw was adopted by a show of hands.
John Roper and Pam Proctor of North Fletcher had made a written submission to council, objecting to the closure of Winn Road. A copy was officially received at Town Hall on July 7, four days before the meeting, but was not included in the written submissions cited by Andre Boel. Corporate officer Selina Williams said she had no knowledge of the submission.
What’s wrong with being ’emotional’? We’re not a bunch of robots here, we’re humans, and emotions are one of the glories of being sentient beings. Unemotional people sign people off to death camps, ‘just doing their job’.
I agree but I figure using the word emotional underlines value to the presenters’ assertions. I think it is called “editorialising” (because how can you say what is in someone else’s head?) The shading added to importance that passionate people were investing in what they had to say. As compared to the reportedly unemotional response. Nothing wrong with emotional; emotional?, good, unemotional?, suspect.
Gibsons’ mayor Wayne Rowe stated that the public had a chance to ask questions at ‘the public hearing’.
There has never been an opportunity for the public to receive answers from the Mayor and Council regarding the George Hotel/Condo project at ANY public hearing.
At the single ‘public hearing’ the public were limited to five minute statements. No questions were answered.
Mr Rowe knows this perfectly well.
the mayor should loosen his tie.. maybe after awhile some oxygen will get to his brain and he may start think straight again.. ( if he ever did ) …sad how some pencil necks can be such A**holes..