Like a one man wrecking ball, David Szabo seems intent on destroying a valuable, local resource. Penticton has grown and will continue to grow with or without Canadian Horizons. The question is just how will Penticton grow with their proposed rezoning of the 1050 Spiller Road property?
David asks if the people living in current developments that have seen the desecration of wetlands (Redwing) or hillsides (Heritage Hills) “feel as though they have scarred the land.” Probably not, but that doesn’t detract from the fact. He says it himself. The land has been scarred.
Redwing Resort, the onetime sanctuary for redwing blackbirds, and other shore and aquatic birds, and a valuable spawning ground for whitefish and Kokanee salmon, is now a subdivision. But it’s not like the people living there now are going to feel as though they have scarred the land. It’s already been done. Unfortunately the only redwing left is in the resort name.
Each of these developments has been completed at huge environmental cost to sensitive environmental habitats.
David readily admits that many of us have not seen the area (except where you can get a panoramic view from the KVR trail where it crosses Naramata Road) and he is right to say, “This is a beautiful area”. It’s beautiful because of the natural environment. There are sheep, elk, many nesting birds and mixed forest and grassland. For these reasons it is beautiful, but then David would like to see the land bulldozed, and completely built over with 300+ houses, packed cheek by jowl together.
How will subdividing this forested slope enhance the aesthetic value of the northeast sector? It’s asinine thinking at best, and that’s what we can expect from someone who has something to gain from this enterprise.
What David suggests, “Building homes so that people can come here to enjoy our beautiful valley” is oxymoronic at best. He is saying that to enjoy this natural beauty we would need to destroy it. There are no good arguments to support the rezoning of the Spiller block. This is urban sprawl at its worst.
Tom Hoenisch
Naramata
