-Potential fire control measures, economic benefits mentioned as reasons for approval-

OSOYOOS TIMES-October 22, 2008-

By Paul EverestrnOsoyoos Times

It took a little under an hour for rural Osoyoos residents to have their say on three motions relating to a proposed expansion of Anarchist Mountain's Regal Ridge development at an Oct. 15 public hearing at the Osoyoos Elks Hall.
Ten people spoke at the hearing, including the project's developer, Adrian Erickson, and all expressed support for the concept of adding 224 serviced lots to the development's existing 341 lots.
RDOS staff broke the series of zoning and Official Community Plan (OCP) amendments necessary for the proposed expansion into three separate motions and Erickson's application for the amendments received first and second readings from the RDOS board on Sept. 4.
Most of the development's properties are 1.2 hectares in size and if the amendments are passed the developer could make the lots one hectare in size.
Two of the motions deal with altering older properties in the development while the third deals with new properties.
The new lots would be located at the mountain's north end and 45 of them would measure less than one hectare in size.
Mark McKenney, an Area A Advisory Council member and mountain resident, said he was in favour of all three motions, mainly because of the potential fire protection and control benefits that would come with smaller lot sizes in the development area.
And a proposed road between Bull Moose Road and Haynes Creek would act as a good fire break, McKenney said.
He added that he was also happy about the idea of a potential three-way agreement between the Anarchist Mountain Community Society, the RDOS and the developers where the society would have an advisory role in matters of conservation in the development area.
Gloria Richardson said she was pleased that the developers have a strategic plan for the whole mountain as opposed to limiting their vision to the confines of the project.
She said a long-term plan would mean long-term benefits for the community.rnAnd John Nett said the development would have a positive economic impact for our region in the midst of international financial turmoil.
Erickson was the last to speak and he referenced last minute referrals from the provincial environment and transportation ministries in regards to the proposed changes for the development.
The Environment Ministry, he said, had suggested that nothing should be developed in environmentally sensitive areas.
But Erickson said he felt that concern should be dealt with at the development permit stage.
He also mentioned that efforts to build a left-turn lane into the development's planned golf course were stopped and the road was restored due to requests from the Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry.
Now the ministry would like the turn lane put back in place, Erickson said.
Many of those who spoke at the hearing also wrote letters of support for the zoning and OCP amendments.
R.C. Van Donkergood expressed concerns in a letter about the impact the changes to the development could possibly have on groundwater on the mountain and about how domestic animals owned by property owners living in the development could affect wildlife.
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