In a normal situation , zoning is dealt with before the developer spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on planning and designs for apartment buildings and other dwellings. This is no normal situation.This sign went up the other day . There is no date for the hearing scheduled so it looks like an attempt to show that something is being done on this file.
Rest assured a public hearing will be held. The pandemic has created some logistical issues with public meetings. Once a satisfactory solution is arrived at, the date will be announced.
ReplyDeleteCouncil still meets. Perhaps an outdoor or Zoom hearing . A hearing has to be held by law. I just found it unusual that a sign went up with no meeting scheduled . This coming at a time when there is some scrutiny regarding the spending at the Tofino Housing Corporation.
ReplyDeleteSome members of this administration have shown a blatant disregard for zoning.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be the similar to the ACRD transit bus proposal.... there will be a hearing, announced a few hours before the scheduled time and place, so most people cannot get there. Then the hearing will be conducted within strict legally required limits, so the public either doesn't understand what's going on or doesn't have the ability to organize any opposition to the proposal. Following this, any and all opposition will be noted, then ignored. Josie will give an interview on Tofino radio, imploring all to "think about the poor homeless children, like she is".(or some other such drivel) Staff will issue pages and pages of reports, keeping themselves employed and the paycheques rolling in. Finally, council will vote, unaminously, to approve whatever Josie and staff tell them to vote for.
ReplyDeleteAnd the taxpayers of Tofino will, once again, get stuck with the bill.
Still waiting for news on the Ecolodge.
ReplyDeletebeFore too long, we The citizens/taxpayers who are financing this incredibly expensive boondoggle Free lunch for numerous consultants, Need to know exactly how much money we are giving them in terms of land value. And what is being developed needs to be defined as well as what is going to be the part that they are free to sell To cover operational costs.It would be absolutely irresponsible to simply handover $1 million worth of property to sell for whatever the developer decides to sell it for.
ReplyDeleteThis appears to be what is being set out in these agreements between catalyst and the Housing Corporation.
to establish fair market value the Tofino housing corporation needs to have the land appraised.
Also vague is the lands that catalyst is free to sell will be rezoned too?Is it clear that those lands that are free to be sold are going to be serviced at the District expense?And what about the lift tax?Hook up fees?Permits?DP?
Answers please...
10:17 AM. Here's the latest on the eco-lodge..... The re-zoning application is being worked on by district staff. That's the same district staff that couldn't be reduced or cut back during the pandemic because they're needed, to continue to provide "essential services". So they're all still employed, full time, full salary.
ReplyDeleteNow, back to the eco-lodge application work..... That's been delayed, due to the pandemic.
There's your explanation.
You're being lied to.
...and the district office is still closed.
Due to the pandemic, of course.
And your taxes are due on July 1st. They need the funds in order to be able to supply essential services to the taxpayers.
Pay, or they'll take your house.
I agree completely with 10:57. Before this goes any further, there needs to be some explanation as to how it was possible to spend/waste this outrageous amount of money to date, it is completely shameful. The mayor and council are completely out of their league, once again.
ReplyDeleteThere is no guarantee that this will be of benefit to anyone other than Catalyst. Must be nice to have the District pay all the development costs, even forgoing the DDC's.
The mayor should resign, taxpayers can not afford her personal agenda. It would appear that no one on council has the balls to stand up to her, really.
I did ask the planner and he hopes to have a bylaw ready soon . Ralph
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody know how much has been spent since day one on this project that has no results?
ReplyDeleteI would estimate that the number would be between 1.3 and 2 million dollars. It is difficult to get all the numbers . But don’t worry ! Some of it was grant money . You know, like Canadian Tire money.
ReplyDeleteI think what you will get at the end of this trail is rents charged by Catalyst will be no cheaper than what would be charged by any business enterprise, and the for sale component will be no cheaper than what the private sector could supply. I use as evidence the proposed rents identified for the Sharp road project. From $800 to $2000 a month. We don't know if Catalyst is even to pay property taxes on the Sharp road project. I don't know how they couldn't make a profit given so much has been given free to them and taken from the town, but accountants tell me there are always creative ways that things can be expensed if you work at it.
ReplyDeleteOn another point the Sharp Road project is to occur on what had been Zoned Parkland.. I believe the Community Charter requires A REFERENDUM BEFORE PARKLAND CAN BE "ALIENATED FROM THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. See if that happens. Not
12:48 PM Thanks for the update. Wonder if we'll ever get to see that report. If they stall long enough, Ms Pippi will have gone on to bigger and better things by then.
ReplyDeleteDistrict of Tofino Zoning Amendment Bylaw No.1270, 2019” (amending Tofino Zoning Bylaw No. 770) proposes to rezone the subject property from Park and Public Use District (P2) to THC Sharp Road Residential Comprehensive Development Zone (THC2). The proposed amendment would facilitate an affordable multi-family housing development on the subject property consisting of up to 14 housing units.
ReplyDeleteAlready rezoned
ReplyDeleteWhat is really crazy is that the District is prepared to give away taxpayers land and insane amount of money to this developer but discourages other developers, in anyway they can, from zoning land and building affordable housing, costing the District nothing. In addition the District would collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in DDC's and all the other charges the District can dream up, from these same developers.
ReplyDeleteNone of this makes any sense. Shame on the taxpayers for allowing this nonsense to continue.