Your Top Three Issues for a New Council

[fisherking]

Since nobody else has posted in here yet, with election time coming... let me hear you say OMG!!!... I thought I'd pose a question, which I realize by the third page of this thread will become a series of insults back and forth between posters and inevitably a debate about Westbank vs West Kelowna. Nonetheless, I thought it might be useful to get everyone who wants to, to list what they see (as specifically as possible) the three most important issues for the next Council to address in WK.

I'm guessing some council members, and maybe some of those new candidates running, may scan these forums, and this might be a good way to send a message and let those running know specifically which issues the citizens of West Kelowna feel are the most important and most pressing.

I'd encourage you to be specific...

For me, I'd say:

1. Revitalization of the downtown (Westbank area) by a) focusing on creating more pedestrian friendly areas, b) eliminating the one-way system so Westbank doesn't just become a drive-thru, c) looking at greater high density residential in the downtown core and d) creating a plan to promote downtown as West Kelowna's heritage centre

2. Creating a plan to attract more direct and adjunct tourism to West Kelowna (tourism that is coming thru town to go to Kelowna).

3. Addressing the alarming retail 'over'-development of the Highway 97S corridor here. We are 'plaza'd' to death. I recognize much of this development is taking place on WFN land, but here's the reality: There are only so many people here to support local businesses. And yet, every time we open a new coffee shop, new shoe store, new electronics store, etc... we are cutting into whatever market share is available, whittling down further the opportunity for current (and new) businesses to survive. It's common sense. If there are four coffee shops and each shop can attract just enough customers to survive, if you open two more coffee shops, the same number of customers must now be split 6 ways. Already we are seeing retail plazas with empty tenants, businesses that simply couldn't generate enough revenue to survive. And yet the slices of the pie continue to be cut even thinner here with every new strip mall and retail store that pops up. We can only maintain so many electronics stores, so many restaurants, so many drug stores, and so on. And it's only going to get worse. As stores continue to close our community we'll become depressed (commercially), more people will be out of work and we may begin sliding down a slippery slope that won't benefit anybody. What can be done to address this?

So they would be my top three issues. For sure, debate me on mine, but more importantly, what are yours?

[Urbane]

The overriding super issue is pacing. How fast do we want to deal with these issues? In other words, what level of tax increases are we willing to accept? Anyway, here are my issues:

1. Continue the catch-up program by creating a more pedestrian-friendly community. We need wider areas for people to walk along roads, sidewalks added where applicable, better lighting in some places, and traffic calming measures where necessary. I would just add that in some places (Old Ok Hwy for example where there is a sidewalk and then suddenly no sidewalk for the section near Reece Rd.) some "in-filling" of sidewalks where sidewalks already exist nearby makes sense.

2. The Westbank Centre plan is an excellent one and while it's a long-term plan it's important that we move ahead with it.

3. Creating a more livable community with benches, historical signage, park facilities etc. help promote tourism but also make the community better for its residents. The walking trail from Westbank Centre to the lake is one such improvement that will be good for everyone.

[hereiamagain]

Urbane, would you consider adding a poll at the top with the points you have raised?

ie
Downtown WB revitalization
Sidewalks
Roads
Importance of land use for community (ie sunnyside and RV land swap) - I know I did not phrase that one correctly, so feel free to adjust it
Civil services such as garbage, street cleaning etc
Business attraction
Development of communities - guidelines for developers
Development of businesses - guidelines for businesses who wish to develop
Pay of council
Development of By laws (but with a qualifier of which bylaws ie noise etc)

That sort of thing....

[Rwede]

1. get rid of Zanon.

2. get rid of Zanon.

3. get rid of Zanon.


I have more, but they are generally about getting rid of Zanon.

[Urbane]

People are even more quiet than normal this election cycle. We vote one month from today and nary a peep from most people about the issues. Does that mean that the majority of people are reasonably happy with the direction of DWK? I'd say yes but I know some people are still unhappy with the land swap decision and others think we're moving too quickly or too slowly in our infrastructure catchup program. Are we in for a record low voter turnout? Do most people just not care?

[VoteRandall]

I hope that the low number of posts doesn't mean that people "just don't care" as you've asked Urbane.

I've been campaigning door-to-door and talked to a lot of West Kelowna residents so far. Every one of them definitely cares and more importantly feel that we are facing some pretty major issues that are not being addressed. What's more there is a prevailing lack of confidence in anything changing.

The decisions made over the next 3 - 6 years will have a long lasting impact on West Kelowna. Good or bad, what we do now will set the tone indelably for the future.

If ever you cared about the direction of West Kelowna, your taxes, essential services, lifestyle and sustainability, now is the time to speak up. Regardless of who you decide to vote for, speak up, be heard and VOTE!

[CrystalCity]

I'd like to see council do something REALLY daring, like follow London's example and make J-Walking legal in the downtown area. It is not something that would really cost all that much...Unless they decide to post signs to caution drivers. I'd also like to see more street lights in Lakeview Heights...with the drag races that take place with crotch rockets at night it's just not safe in the dark.

[westbanker]

1 - FORGET about spending MY money on revitalizing a dead dream and turn the down "towne" core into high rises so we can increase our TAX BASE to pay for everything we want to do, ie sidewalks, pool expansion or a new waterfront - which is FAR MORE IMPORTANT than a revised downtown core most of us AVOID anyway...

2 - sidewalk + light up trunk roads

3 - get rid of anyone who was on the RDOC.... you can see their handywork already.. and it still goes on... wake up.

[parachute]

3 - get rid of anyone who was on the RDOC.... you can see their handywork already.. and it still goes on... wake up.

Now that is an idea worth studying... How about -----

Mayor: Neis
Councillors: DeJong, Milsom, Robinson, Sinclair, Winsby, Zanon

Four existing council .... Three newbies ... WHAT AN IDEA!! YEA!

[Bestside]

Urbane, would you consider adding a poll at the top with the points you have raised?

ie
Importance of land use for community (ie sunnyside and RV land swap) - I know I did not phrase that one correctly, so feel free to

<etc. sniped>

What is this?

[travelingman]

The city should not be the ones to revitalize the downtown area and it is to late anyway, most of the businesses are already located on WFN land. The city has to create a climate so that developers will want to build high-rises or multi family units on West Kelowna land and not WFN. You have to offer the same or better tax or development service charge reductions so you can compete with the natives(or find out why all the new development goes there and do the same thing). The way it is now more and more West Kelowna businesses will either move to WFN land or just close up shop. I would think it would be better to have lower tax incentives for developers to collect a bit of tax then getting nothing at all. Just imagine if all the taxes and development charges for all those new stores on WFN land went to West Kelowna for property tax income? The WFN out smarted you and they are obviously out competing you when it comes to better tax reductions and lower development cost charges.