Months of debate all came down to about 15 minutes, as Chase council unanimously voted to approve the rezoning of the Aylmer Road property for a proposed wood pellet plant.
The Tuesday decision did not ensure that the Pinnacle pellet plant will be coming to Chase, as council only voted on rezoning of the property.
The decision allows the business to take the next steps, which will eventually include completing an environmental assessment.
While the meeting was short, a number of Chase residents continue to say that the results of the Nov. 26 council meeting are anything but sweet. The unanimous vote had mixed reactions throughout the gallery, with some citizens threatening to move.
“It is a sham,” Chase resident Stella Sparks said after the meeting. “I don’t mind it being industrial, but they are just going to shoo in the pellet plant and that is just not the right industry for this town.”
Couns. Steve Scott and Rod Crowe both stood before the full gallery Tuesday, explaining their reasons for voting in favour.
“Residential is not viable,” said Coun. Steve Scott.
Scott explained that after researching the issue, visiting mill sites and the Aylmer Road property, he came to the conclusion that the land simply would not support residential property.
He noted the site was an industrial area for 100 years, costs would outweigh profits for residential developers and potential residents would have the stigma of living on an old industrial site.
“Chase needs a multiple varied tax base,” Scott said, but also noted that current small businesses could not shoulder a large portion of the municipal tax and many Chase homeowners could not afford a tax hike.
“Homeowners with jobs like me are already taxed out,” Scott said.
Crowe said he had spent four hours in the Williams Lake area. There he studied the pellet plant, took photographs and visited local businesses where he could listen for noise and other possible problems.
He had also visited the Armstrong plant and did the same.
During the public hearing process many referred to Chase as a retirement community. However, he said, Chase’s population demographic shows that 78 per cent of the population is under the age of 65.
Crowe also detailed the many jobs provided to Chase residents by the forest industry, including those from Adams Lake Lumber, which also pays taxes to the Village of Chase.
He explained this helps support the community’s tax base, as well as providing jobs for those living in the area.
Crowe said 70 per cent of the letters submitted to the office were in favour of rezoning the land, saying these were just some of the factors in his decision.
Crowe suggested that many in the area were more concerned about the rezoning of the parcel of land than they are about the village budget, alluding to the small turn out for budget meetings.
He explained that there are many jobs that desperately need to be completed in Chase, all of which cost thousands or millions of dollars that Chase currently does not have.
The new water treatment plant costs almost $7 million, the community hall requires $300,000 in repairs and upgrades, the sewage treatment operation needs a minimum of $1 million in work, and Brooke Drive needs $250,000 worth of repairs.
Cottonwood Street, in front of the schools, needs about $7 million in work. Crowe noted there is some question whether the water system provides adequate fire protection to the school, yet it has been bumped from numerous budget meetings.
If the pellet plant was built on the land it would generate a minimum of $70,000 to $75,000, Crowe said.
He continued: “$70,000 is equivalent to a four-per cent tax increase in this town.”
Juniper Road resident Len McLean was also not pleased to hear the news.
“We are disappointed because we are residents that live very close by,” he said, “It is a little disheartening but I guess we will just move on from there and do the best we can. We have tried with the village but that seems to be the end of our opportunity there.”
Not all residents were displeased, however. Many business owners in the area saw the rezoning as a small victory.
“As a small business owner with a young family, I think this is a step in the right direction for the young adults of Chase,” said Peter Stratikopoulos, noting he hopes it will lead the way to improving the local economy and employment options.