There's a showdown coming on Dec. 17 that could have sleepy little Gibsons looking like the OK Corral on gunfight day. On one hand you have Target Developments' Shoal Bay project on the Gibsons waterfront - the developers who prompted Mayor Barry Janyk to say, "If every proponent treated the Town the way you have treated us, Gibsons would be a happy place."
All 20 specifications from the Town were met, including traffic and view analyzing, incorporating permeable pavers in some parking areas and being drafted to a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (well known as LEED) to a silver standard. CEO Grant Gillies and his team have been co-operative all the way.
And many Gibsonites have appeared to appreciate their meticulous attention to detail. At a public meeting at the Yacht Club in late summer, citizens applauded the company's ambitious plans.
On the other side of the equation is a group calling itself Citizens for Gibsons Landing. Johnny-come-latelies to the party, the group is now making a very vocal opposition to the development. And in spite of many newspaper articles written about the proposed development and the Town's own advertising, the Citizens are now crying foul. While on the one hand we give the Citizens for Gibsons Landing credit for caring about a unique, vibrant part of the little Town we all know and love, on the other hand, we have to wonder why their heads have suddenly come out of the sand now.
The public hearing first scheduled for Dec. 5 will now be a public meeting so those folks who need more information will have the opportunity to find out just what this development is all about. We hope those still in the dark about this proposal will find their way to the Cedars Inn on Dec. 5 and get all their questions answered. For Grant Gillies, who has played by the rules all along, this added meeting seems an affront to us. We hear the same old saw trotted out for every proposal on the Sunshine Coast - the stale: "We're not against waterfront development, just not this development." From where we sit, this is a thoughtful, green-based, beautiful development, and the Town would be hard pressed to find a better project. We think it's a jewel in a gem-like setting. If you want to see an elegant development on Gibsons waterfront, come to the showdown on Dec. 17 and make your feelings known.
