As the new Prince Rupert City Council takes to their work this evening in the first public Council session since their election to office, some farewell business from the previous mayor will offer a potential narrative for the membership in the weeks to come after the take their oaths of office.
Last week, as the eight year term for Mayor Lee Brain was coming to an end, he delivered a pair of farewell vision themes for the new council to pick up the torch on.
Some of them already involved in the decision making from their time on the previous council, so the returning councillors should be well versed in the scope of the two newest initiatives to add to the 2030 Rupert Vision plan tracker.
The statement and the now former Mayor's follow up Social Media page prominently featuring the words potential, feasible and if ... leaving much still to be explained for city residents and taxpayers as to how it all would work, what it all will cost and how the cost of development will be divided up among the partners.
So hopefully the new Council will have some further background to share long before anyone is talking about cutting any ribbons on Watson Island.
The other Big announcement for Mr. Brain on his way out the door was the rather surprising declaration that housing is in the works for the Seal Cove Quarry area,
One final opportunity for Mr. Brain to repeat the oft heard mantra of Rupert 2030 Vision plan before he departed from his post.
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| Land at the Seal Cove Quarry has now been identified as a potential site for housing in the community |
The Thursday announcement from the City an agreement to sell land for housing (for an undisclosed price) to a Langford developer Keystone Corp., though there was little else to share on the topic such as what form and style of housing may be planned and how much of a footprint it will take from the Quarry site.
An area of the city, that was not previously noted in any of the vision planning as being on the front burner for housing development.
City Manager Rob Buchan, who from his past work in the Greater Victoria area previous to joining the city, is no doubt familiar with the work of the developer from Langford.
So he may be able to fill in some of the details as the process moves forward.
While those returning City Council members for the new term may be able to share some thoughts on the housing plans, especially the location of choice for the initiative.
An area of the city currently zoned as light industrial which seems somewhat out of sync with their vision planning work of the last four years where the focus was supposedly to create more housing in the central core of the city to add to those vast areas of the downtown where development has stalled over the last decade and beyond.
The first of those proposed changes to the downtown core was to be the Gateway area at the corner of McBride Street and Third Avenues East and West, though so far not much has come from the July 2021 introduction.
The push to see some progress on the need for housing in Prince Rupert found the City earlier this year releasing vast tracts of land for potential housing development.
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| Earlier this year the City of Prince Rupert announced plans to sell land in three areas of the community, including the Alpine Avenue area on the west side of the city. |
None of those areas it would appear appealed to the Langford developers, and with no announcements towards any land sales for those areas yet, nor it seems have they appealed to anyone else.
Over the course of the year, the City has also announced other civic owned smaller properties and parcels as up for sale (such as this announcement from February), though we haven't heard of the success of those offerings to date.
So beyond the need for much more in the way of details towards the Seal Cove plans, perhaps an update from the new administration on where the new City Council will be focusing its attention towards housing might be a helpful guide for residents in the near future.
So that we can hear more on what to expect from Mayor Herb Pond ant Council is as we move through the new term.
With tonight's session mostly one of ceremony and inauguration of the new collective, those answers for residents will have to wait to a bit later into the start of the term it would seem.
More notes on Housing can be reviewed from our archive page here.
The often-cited Rupert 2030 Vision, which is a vision statement rather than a plan, seems to be treated as a blanket endorsement or free pass for a lot of things, whether a good idea or not, usually with little sharing of the details and prior discussion at public meetings. The mantra has probably out-lived its usefulness and may have become counter-productive.
ReplyDeleteVision 2030 is a near 100 page document with dozens of detailed recommended actions, created by world famous City Planner Larry Beasley.
DeleteVision 2030 contains numerous action items for city core revitalization, waterfront development, commercial interests, land use frameworks....
Vision 2030 was also supported by 90+% of the thousands of people who were surveyed.
Vision 2030 was also supported by the Port Authority, DP World, Ray-Mont Logistics, Ridley Terminals, Community Futures, and 80+ community organizations.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56953d59d82d5e4a6a3ee499/t/5df80aba6eabde6fa227a53d/1576536893173/191206_PRU_VisionReport_web.pdf
Let's call this anonymous commenter for what they truly are: a major downer with a really bad outlook
"Let's call this anonymous commenter for what they truly are: a major downer with a really bad outlook" And let's call you what you are: a shill.
ReplyDeleteTo anyone reading this comment, please notice the textbook definition above of attacking the messenger and not the actual message.
DeleteGuy is proven demonstrably wrong...responds with name calling.
But nice choice of word: shill is the perfect description of this blog in relation to the port at the expense of (former) Mayor Lee Brain
I could not find the definition of "Attacking the Messenger" in Merriam-Webster.
Deletehttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attacking%20the%20messenger?utm_campaign=sd&utm_medium=serp&utm_source=jsonld
What other gaslighting tactics will you be using on this blog?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteDude, it's clear you don't know what gaslighting means.
DeleteIf you want to look up your own error, please use your internet machine to search "ad hominem fallacy"
A note on comments and why they may or may not be posted can be reviewed from our Comments and Questions feature at the bottom of the right hand column ...
DeleteFurther guidance on the topic or other apparent editorial mysteries currently of interest for some readers can be explored by contacting the NCR at Northcoastreviewpr@yahoo.ca
Of course those wishing to ensure their commentary is available for all to read unfettered can create their own blog at www.blogger.com we might even give you a mention here!
NCR
What was the cost to develop the 2030 plan? At whose expense? Who really is the shriil?
ReplyDeleteagain you conveniently ignore your original mistake with whataboutism
DeleteI am the OP in this thread. I have only made one comment, which I stand by. My concern is about the implementation of Vision 2030. I have read some of the vision statements. They are general and probably good starting points, but not the final word on anything. In response it is said that I am a "major downer with a really bad outlook". I didn't both responding.
DeleteAfter being called names ("a major downer" etc) it is said that I am "proven demonstrably wrong" but respond with "name calling", to which is added that the blog is a shill. I haven't called anyone a "shill" and I have no connection with NCR.
Someone then makes a comment about cost. Then it is said that I conveniently ignore my "original mistake and respond with whataboutism". But I did not comment on the cost. I just wrote the OP. Sometimes it's best not to make assumptions.