Congratulations to councillors Mary Brouilette, Bill Luchtmeijer and Dave Willie for voting to allow new construction in our downtown core.
I for one will be pleased to see a new building replace the cordoned off vacant lot that was a dilapidated, boarded-up eyesore for so long before that. I am also thrilled with town hall, Qualicum Foods and The Gardens, all “over-height” buildings that the council of the day voted to allow.
All are beautiful buildings that enrich our community with useful spaces that are appealing to the eye. Not all change is bad, not all development is evil and sometimes it just makes sense to consider something outside the norm.
When Luchtmeijer was mayor, he was instrumental in having the current town hall approved. Not only did they vote to allow an “over-height” building, but they formed a public/private partnership where the town exchanged land it owned to a developer who came in and built the town hall.
No other financing was done except for a lease. We leased the town hall from the developer for 10 years at which time the developer turned it over to the town for a dollar.
Current Mayor Teunis Westbroek, a councillor at the time, was opposed to the development, as were many in the community who went on and on about how unsightly and out of character it would be. I think that most would now agree that the town hall is lovely and in keeping with the feel of our downtown core.
The finance model that also caused such a stir in the day was a huge success and has been adopted by other municipalities.
I voted for this Gang of Three, as they are so rudely called when ever their vote goes against Westbroek’s. I think that they are doing a fantastic job and perhaps if they continue to let common sense prevail we will see a few more unsightly vacant lots developed into something that the community can enjoy. Three cheers for the Gang of Three.
Maria Perpick
Qualicum Beach
