LTC hosts open house for Commons
Derek Kilbourn
derek@soundernews.com
Monday, March 1 2010
The Gabriola Local Trust Committee held an open community meeting this past week, with the bylaw application of The Commons on the table for discussion.
Various proponents and curious residents attended. There was a notable lack of vocal opposition to what the Commons is applying for.
The Commons is applying to allow expansion of activities allowed on the property to go beyond what is typically allowed on land zoned as agricultural.
The application has already gone before the Agricultural Land Commission and has been approved, conditional to the Commons engaging in agricultural uses on the land.
The application is now before the Local Trust Committee and will, if approved, likely see a new type of zoning created specifically for the Commons.
A few key issues brought up in the past six months involving the Commons application have been the creation of a Community Kitchen, the allowance of camping as an accessory to workshops and other activities at the Commons, and whether some of the potential uses of the Commons create an unfair competitive atmosphere for existing businesses on Gabriola.
As well, the question of how the Commons can possibly continue in perpetuity if given a special zoning by the Trust is being assessed.
Judith Roux, from the Commons Board, said that, “At the heart of some of the concerns is the fear that there will be some kind of competition with the Commons doing what it can see itself doing.”
She said the Commons has to ask itself, “With what we do, will we be in competition with commercial enterprise and with other non-profit organizations on the island?”
As to how the Commons can ensure it stays the Commons and that it does not fall under the ownership or control of persons who may want to commercialize or change its purpose, Judith explained the Commons is in the process of having a covenant put in place with the Land Conservancy as well as other non-profits to protect it from such scenarios.
A child-care facility, the community kitchen, and accessory camping spaces were identified as areas that may have a conflict of competition within the community, but those present argued that by having these spaces in a single area, they are providing something different than what is already provided on Gabriola.
An example given was the Commons gardening plots - parents with children would be able to use those plots, along with the community kitchen, knowing there is a child-care program on-site.
Trustee Sheila Malcolmson said one concern she has heard about the Commons having too much ‘one-stop shopping’ (camping, kitchen, workshops) is that the rest of the Community might not benefit from having visitors coming to the island for activities at the Commons.
So far, the bylaw only exists in draft form and has not been put forward for an official first reading.
It is available for download from the Islands Trust web site as it had been presented at the November LTC meeting. Find it in the November Agenda Package.
With the input from this past week’s meeting, the bylaw will now be going through more work at the Trust staff level.
A special meeting of the Local Trust Committee will be held on March 10th, (location TBA) at 7 p.m., and the LTC will hold it’s regular meeting on March 30th.
Both meetings are open to the public.
The bylaw could be put forward for a first reading on March 30 if the LTC and staff believe it has been sufficiently prepared to be presented.
Below is a link to the draft bylaw on the Islands Trust web site.
http://www.islandstrust.bc.ca/ltc/gb/pdf/gbagendanov132009pkg.pdf
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