The possibility of opening a piece of beachfront property to development was shut down by Chase council.
An official community plan (OCP) amendment for the property located at 950 Hysop Road was considered at the Village of Chase July 9 council meeting. The bylaw discussed would have changed the zoning of the property from parks and open space to general residential.
The property in question is a disused portion of the Sunshore Golf Course near the mouth of the Thompson River.
A motion was introduced by Coun. Fred Torbohm to halt consideration of the amendment. According to Joni Heinrich, the village’s chief administrative officer (CAO), the motion succeeded 4-1.
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Heinrich said councillors who voted against considering the amendment cited concerns that the property in question could be prone to flooding. Coun. Ali Maki suggested a better time to discuss altering the zoning would be during Chase’ upcoming OCP review.
A request for proposals is out for a consultant to conduct the OCP review for Chase.
Voting against the motion was Mayor Rod Crowe who, according to Heinrich, thought it was important the zoning change be brought to a public hearing in order to gather public opinion.
Heinrich said the possibility of re-zoning the property has been raised several times before, most recently during the term of the previous council when it was also dismissed.
Although the Tuesday night meeting was not a public hearing for the zoning change, Heinrich said it was well attended by members of the public opposed to the rezoning.
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Chase resident Wayne Quinn helped to organize the opposition to the rezoning of the property. He said this isn’t the first time Chase residents have come out in opposition to development efforts at the property.
“We’ve been speaking and calling friends and family and everyone in town that has a will to help us save it. We’ve been really surprised about the overwhelming support again. People know about this land and want to keep it as green space,” Quinn told the Shuswap Market News on July 9 before the meeting.
Quinn said he would like to see the property purchased and turned into a community park.
The owners of the property did not respond to a request for comment before the Shuswap Market News’ print deadline.
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jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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