Editor:
I can’t get the melody out of my head: Little boxes on the hillside . . . Little boxes all the same . . . (with thanks to Malvina Reynolds) (“Sechelt APC has questions about the Havies,” CR June 17).
No doubt the 99 houses planned for Havies Road will not be built of ticky-tacky. But 99 houses, in just two styles, in tight rows, with a small park in one corner (the minimum size required) that has been pronounced “ideal” – and the chief concern beyond parking and traffic safety is whether Sechelt will need to purchase more waste bins?
What about the increase in highway traffic between Havies Road and Sechelt, from the major potential increase in population in that many houses all in one spot, in addition to all the other housing already planned or being built on the Coast? The stretch of highway between Field Road and Sechelt is already where most vehicle crashes occur (per Gibsons to Sechelt Corridor Study), and the Havies Road intersection is sometimes a bottleneck now. Assuming that the new owners move in, rather than renting their five and six bedroom houses out to multiple AirBnB clients. Wow, great size for partying.
What about the demand on the water supply for lawns and possible pools or hot tubs by newcomers from the city, who are not used to conserving to prevent Stage 4 water crises? Last time I heard, water is still a major concern, especially with climate change a growing reality. What about sewer capacity? And why is there apparently no provision for affordable housing (whatever that term means these days), or the small contribution to community amenities usually required from developers? Though it’s possible that Keili hadn’t room to include these last two items.
I look forward to some answers.
Sincerely,
Sheila Weaver, Gibsons
