Silent Majority in Summerland: Urban Growth Strategy

[NextGen]

Anonymous 123 Looking through the MLS listings in Summerland I can't help but notice that some of the listings are vacant homes. Summerland already has affordable housing compared to other areas of the Okanagan, but what it doesn't have is jobs. People are leaving because there is no work.

Why do you like to spread lies and misleading information ? The MLS listings show that there is affordable housing but the restrictions ARE you have to be 55 and over.

[Anonymous123]

Anonymous 123 I agree with that. As someone stated earlier the problem lies with people picking stuff up on their way home from work (Penticton, West Kelowna). Businesses in Summerland will continue to close until they reach the level that is needed and supported by the locals. Taking land out of the ALR and putting housing on it will not help.

That is your opinion and not a fact. How would you know that Anonymous are you physic?

Here you go repeating yourself again.

[NextGen]

Anonymous 123 Here you go repeating yourself again.


I personally think you are a diversion tactic for the Stop the Swap or No Growth- No Plan or CAVE group. Did you read what twobits wrote? I dont think you read anyone's comments unless they agree with you. Remember there is people that care about Summerland and its future for all demographics. Here let me post Twobits comment for you again and please read it, you might actually learn something. Do you know how business/investment/industry works in today's world? or are you living in a bubble?

Twobits Did it ever occur to you that having carts is useless unless there are horses around to pull them? Cart manufacturers set up shop after there were enough horses to justify the business. Just like how drug stores open up when there are enough horses that needs meds and car repair facilities open up when there are enough horses that own cars.
You present chicken or egg logic. To you, the only route is attracting business and industry. And it is a viable route but to me, there are more ways to skin a cat. Industry/business do create jobs and hence a need for housing of those employees but industry/business use a number of criteria in location analysis. Two simple ones are "Is there an adequate supply of local labour" and "Is there an adequate population base to service in the immediate area"?
If I am looking for a location to establish my business and I see a community shrinking, schools closing because of declining enrollment and people moving out because their children may not be able to finish high school in the community, it is certainly not a community I can count on for a labour supply nor is it a community that is going to grow my business because there will be an increasing number of people that require my service

[Anonymous123]

Anonymous 123 Looking through the MLS listings in Summerland I can't help but notice that some of the listings are vacant homes. Summerland already has affordable housing compared to other areas of the Okanagan, but what it doesn't have is jobs. People are leaving because there is no work.

Why do you like to spread lies and misleading information ? The MLS listings show that there is affordable housing but the restrictions ARE you have to be 55 and over.

Lies? You're calling me a liar? Nice, taking to insults now.
Here are a few properties that are affordable, no age restrictions and the last one is vacant. There are a lot more, but you get the drift.

http://beta.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?PropertyId=14092415

http://beta.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?PropertyId=13995072

http://beta.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?PropertyId=14399432

http://beta.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?PropertyId=13175666

http://beta.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?PropertyId=14160549

I'm done. There's no use arguing with you. You want that land out of the ALR so bad you will do anything to make that happen. I hope it stalls until the next election when there can be a referendum on this.

[NextGen]

Anonymous 123 I'm done. There's no use arguing with you. You want that land out of the ALR so bad you will do anything to make that happen. I hope it stalls until the next election when there can be a referendum on this.

You showed me a couple of houses, and these houses are going to sustain Summerland for the next 50 years? If you lived here and really looked at the real-estate focusing on first time home-buyers there is hardly ANY product. Summerland has turned in a bedroom community of 50+ and if we stay at this type of demographic it can not sustain it self financially for the next 50 years. This type of logic of no one should move her except the retired, is not a healthy way of growing a community. My parents who are of the age demographic +55 dont shop locally because they dont need anything except food their need and wants change after a certain age.

We need more diversity to sustain local business and to entice new business to come into town and possibly build houses that could house these young families. Its called forward thinking. When people demand infrastructure, roadways to be fixed all those amenities, who pays for that? Money does not grow on trees. This is just future planning and a process that needs to take place. The proposal is asking for a small amount of acres, Summerland still has roughly around 7000 acres of existing ALR land. Like I commented before, I think you are just using distraction tactics. I could be getting rather frustrated with your comments, when any of the posters address a question to you directly, you avoid and dance around the topic. Never really addressing the issue at hand. Preferably I dont like to debate with someone that is so closed minded and not willing to see that this proposal could benefit ALL Summerland Residents for the next 50 years.

[fluffy]

Taking land out of the ALR and putting housing on it will not help.

I don't agree with this perception of the issue at hand. Taking the land in question, which lies adjacent to the existing town core, out of the ALR does not assume that the farmland is going to disappear overnight and be replaced with housing. What it does is clear a path to direct possible future growth into an area that makes the most sense to keep the downtown area a cohesive and efficient unit.

[Anonymous123]

Taking land out of the ALR and putting housing on it will not help.

I don't agree with this perception of the issue at hand. Taking the land in question, which lies adjacent to the existing town core, out of the ALR does not assume that the farmland is going to disappear overnight and be replaced with housing. What it does is clear a path to direct possible future growth into an area that makes the most sense to keep the downtown area a cohesive and efficient unit.

Possible future growth? The land you speak of will be cut up and developed before the ink on the contract is even dry.

[fluffy]

Possible future growth? The land you speak of will be cut up and developed before the ink on the contract is even dry.

Only if there's a market for it. Developers don't generally build houses to have them sit empty. If there is a demand then so be it, better to have the growth happen in logical locations.

[A_Britishcolumbian]

and in this case, by logical locations you mean where city councilors will profit from the proliferation of dog crap collection units at the expense of prime farmland. strange logic.

[fluffy]

and in this case, by logical locations you mean where city councilors will profit from the proliferation of dog crap collection units at the expense of prime farmland. strange logic.

No, I mean land immediately adjacent to the existing city core. Perfectly logical for those with the inclination (and ability) to reason it out.

[A_Britishcolumbian]

at least you are willing to come clean about the corrupt nature of summerland council, they were indeed 'inclined', slanted. the playing field was not level,the decision was not logical, unless one considers the selfish motives of council and those few that influenced them.

[fluffy]

at least you are willing to come clean about the corrupt nature of summerland council, they were indeed 'inclined', slanted. the playing field was not level,the decision was not logical, unless one considers the selfish motives of council and those few that influenced them.

You can keep your juvenile word-twisting games to yourself my young friend, they don't interest me in the least. Now if you have some better ideas about planning for Summerland's future, by all means feel free to share them.

[A_Britishcolumbian]

in·cli·na·tion

noun
1. a person's natural tendency or urge to act or feel in a particular way; a disposition or propensity.

2. a slope or slant.

ju·ve·nile

adjective
1. of, for, or relating to young people.

so fluffy, you accuse me of 'word twisting' which i will assert i am innocent of. if you feel that acting 'for young people' is a negative thing, then i do have greater insight to your so called 'logic'.

i have presented my visions of future development in summerland in this thread. as well i have shown that additional residential capacity is not at all prohibited by alr inclusion, which begs why this land is proposed to be excluded.

as for plans, the ocp is something one would think maybe council would have changed prior to advocating exclusion rather than simply breaching the plan.

it is clear *removed* this decision to apply for exclusion/swapping is a wrong decision.

i believe the young people of summerland should be considered and not forsaken. i believe council should lead a good example for the young people of summerland, and not the 'public be damned' dictatorial example they have chosen to present.

[fluffy]

I must have missed something...how is council forsaking Summerland's young in this matter? What is it that is currently available to Summerland's young that would not be available should the land in question be removed from the ALR?

[A_Britishcolumbian]

myself and other farmers have traditionally favoured hiring young folk, and i am guessing any homes developed as a result of the possible swap will not be reasonably affordable to anyone other than those at or above the modal income level.

i am obviously too attached to this issue to participate 'nicely' so i am going to bow out and wait until the alc makes their decision on the matter :)