Gibsons staff have further clarified tree cutting that occurred at Block 7 as part of the Gospel Rock development was authorized by the town.
Staff made the clarification in response to questions posed by Coun. Aleria Ladwig at an April 6 regular council meeting where a memo about the cutting was discussed.
The memo, included in the agenda but sent to council and posted on the town’s website on March 22, detailed why a stop work order was put into effect at the site, and that the property owner would be facing $900 in fines for damaging protected trees.
After it was presented, Ladwig asked for confirmation that the developer was authorized through the development permit to cut trees on the property in the Douglas fir, arbutus dryland forest area.
Infrastructure director Dave Newman explained the cutting that occurred within the development permit area was addressed by the development permit. He said an area was determined to be part of the same ecosystem as the dryland forest, “however it was not in the established boundaries of the environmentally sensitive area.”
Ladwig acknowledged that, “right or wrong,” that area wasn’t identified as an environmentally sensitive area, and asked for further confirmation that the “area that the developer cut, he was authorized to do.”
Newman confirmed that was the case, but added the developer was supposed to have Diamond Head Consulting on site – “that was the issue,” he said.
He also explained that the tree preservation bylaw contains an exemption for when the removal of trees has been addressed in a development permit.
“In this case, the area of trees outside of the development permit area that were cut were addressed in Diamond Head’s report that was part of the development permit that was issued. Therefore that pre-empted the tree bylaw,” he said.
Ladwig said she wanted clarity on those areas, “because I keep hearing questions around why [the developer] didn’t have a tree cutting permit for those trees he cut down, and why such a large portion of the ESA was cut.”
“Whether we now wish he had or not was another matter, but he had approval to do so,” she said.
The memo also outlines that no additional tree removal is to occur until the town’s stop work order is lifted and further tree cutting on Block 7 will require a permit. That has been extended to further tree removal in development permit area 1 and 2, and also covers trees that were addressed in the environmental development permit. Diamond Head Consulting also must be contacted prior to tree removal to determine if monitoring is required, among other stipulations.
At the meeting, Sunshine Coast Conservation Association executive director Suzanne Senger asked for an update for when a meeting would take place between the town, developer, her organization and The Land Conservancy of B.C. to resolve outstanding issues related to the conservation covenant and conservation of the dryland forest on Block 7.
Mayor Bill Beamish said he had not yet received a response from developer Greenlane Homes but that he would follow up this week.
“It would be great if we could all sit down at the table and find a path forward,” said Beamish. “The challenge is we have to get to that point where everybody is able to sit down and talk, and hopefully we’re getting to that very soon.”
Earlier in the meeting, residents Loretta Macklam and Sharon Danroth, who have been involving in trying to protect Gospel Rock, spoke as a delegation.
Macklam questioned whether the “dryland forest would stay intact now that the top of Gospel Rock has been logged.”
“I implore you to keep the stop work order in place until the town has absolute certainty no further damage will be done,” she said.
“I hope you will find it in your hearts to really look at the possibilities to help save the land. It’s worth standing up for.”
In an unusual start to the regular council meeting, Beamish requested an in-camera session to discuss whether a resolution proposed by Coun. Annemarie De Andrade should be included in the public or closed meeting agenda, “where I feel it properly belongs,” he said.
Beamish said the resolution relates to legal advice “that we have been receiving and that we need to continue to respect that legal advice.”
A resolution was not made after the public portion of the meeting resumed following council’s return from the in-camera session.
At a committee of the whole meeting earlier that afternoon, De Andrade attempted to make a motion to hire an independent consultant to assess tree cutting related to Gospel Rock, but Beamish cut off her motion, adding it would be discussed further at the council meeting that evening.
