A developer got approval to build at this Dartmouth Drive property despite plenty of residential opposition.
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November 19, 2013 - 7:56 AM
PENTICTON - New home construction will go ahead in the Dartmouth Drive area despite plenty of opposition.
City leadership voted unanimously on Monday night to allow 2725 Dartmouth Dr. and other nearby locations be the new home of more than two dozen new houses.
"This is my third time speaking in front of the council," John Buckley of 142 Dartmouth Ave. said referring to past protests against changing the land use rules for the surrounding area.
Buckley and more than a dozen residents said if the parcels are rezoned and homes are built, there won't be adequate drainage to prevent flooding and erosion, it will encourage more speeding vehicle traffic, natural animal corridors will be affected and there'll be further risk to endangered species such as tiger salamanders and nugget moss.
"I'm not opposed to development but I'm opposed to inappropriate development," Buckley said. He said he was insulted the city could change its mind about the area and developers can simply get rezoning for identified areas in the official community plan.
Stability of the land was also a concern but engineer Jim Morrison of Wildstone Construction, who will have a hand in future home construction, said there are tools to solve drainage and issues.
"Construction has come a long way in the past 30 years," Coun. Katie Robinson said.
The official community plan has allowed a rezoning of the area if and when council deemed appropriate. Morrison said there are areas already zoned residential and the official community plan has allowed rezoning to take place.
He said if residents knew that they "wouldn't be jumping up and down," in protest.
He added other families have the right to build homes in a residential zone.
To contact a reporter for this story, to send photos or videos, email Shannon Quesnel at squesnel@infotelnews.ca, call 250-488-3065, send tweets to @shannonquesnel1 or @InfoNewsPentict.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013