Foothills Transit Site to be Quashed?
Prince George, B.C.- The proposed location for a new BC Transit maintenance facility at Foothills and 18th Avenue in Prince George may be dead in the water.
On Monday, June 12th, Mayor and Council will hold their regular meeting and a report from Mayor Lyn Hall calls on Council to approve three recommendations:
1.RESCIND first and second reading of “City of Prince George Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 8383, 2011, Amendment Bylaw No. 8837, 2017”;
2. RESCIND first and second reading of “City of Prince George Zoning Bylaw No. 7850, 2007, Amendment Bylaw No. 8838, 2017”; and
3. DIRECT Administration to liaise with BC Transit regarding potential alternate locations to facilitate their proceeding with the development of a new Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility.
The motions were prompted by three Councillors, Garth Frizzell, Susan Scott and Brian Skakun.
The report from the Mayor notes there has been significant feedback from the public on this matter. Indeed, the outcry against the loss of greenspace and placing an industrial use in the bowl has been long and loud. The matter saw a capacity crowd attend a public information meeting that was held at the Kin Centre last month , and there have been more than two thousand names collected on petitions opposing the proposed rezoning and change to the official community plan.
There is still an opportunity for a new facility to be built, as the third recommendation calls for Administration to “liaise” with BC Transit on finding a new location for the $23 million dollar project.
The final decision on this matter will come Monday evening when Mayor and Council receive the report and vote on the three recommendations being put forward.
Comments
“significant feedback from the public”. No doubt.
Old inland Kenworth site seems like a slam dunk. If this was private enterprise I’m sure we would see it done for a lot less than 23mil. But when the tax payer, at one level or another, is footing the bill, sky is the limit. Lets make it super green with zero regard to economics and payback, maybe LEEDS platinum, that should get the bill up there.
Didnt I see a couple of Liberals with big smiles in a photo op,Before the election. Where are they now.
That’s what I call fair and good governing.
Fair and good governing? How soon we forget that it was “fair and good governing” that started this whole mess!
While I’m most certainly glad that this decision is being revisited, I’m a bit frustrated that this dumb idea was considered in the first place. How much time, energy and money has been wasted so far?
Fair and good governing would have squelched this idea in the first place!
Hopefully our Mayor and Council will recognize that they need to put more effort into their initial decision making process! Far more productive than having to deal with as Digitus Impudicus put it, the “significant feedback from the public”
I agree. The initial decision is where everything went sour. Get it right in the first place and avoid all these problems with PG Citizens.
Fair and good, and pretty wise governing, when you consider that there were over 3600 names on a petition opposing the location, and countless letters and emails sent to City Council as well. It’s nice that our voices counted. Now let’s find a more suitable site and get it built! Thanks to all those who worked so hard to prevent it from being built in a poor location. Thanks too to Mayor and the Councillors who put a stop to it.
Well – that’s a Shame.
Just remember People – you wanted this Area left Green.
If they had gone green with a facility that generates it own energy and doesn’t spew diesel polution , diesel noise, it would have been welcome in most places .
That’s an awfully big assumption! Lots of people were concerned about increased traffic, specifically large bus traffic in the area.
Others were concerned about the potential for lost green space.
I guess that everyone who voiced concern over this project at this location had their own reasons for doing so, but you go ahead and assume that we would all be ok with it if only it met with your “green” agenda!
Speaking of diesel, how much diesel do you think Leonardo diCaprio uses in his yacht? Wonder how much jet fuel he burns up in his private jets? Probably not as much as Al Gore, but I’ll be it’s close! ;-)
The new buses are to be compressed natural gas and won’t spew diesel fumes or have diesel noise.
Excellent decision by Lyn Garth Susan and Brian
They listened and acted
Perhaps we should be looking a City owned land. They have all that property on the East end of 4th Avenue where they used to have their maintenance yard, and purchasing operation. Fact is, they were supposed to sell this land to help off set the cost of relocating to 18 and Ospika.
I believe that they also own property at 4th and Scotia St. This was the old Williams Moving and Storage property and the City was going to locate their Community Energy System there until PACHA got them to move .
Just saying.
This is what I have been asking about for a few months. Can’t get any answers from city. Doesn’t surprise me. Last I heard many years ago the city was going to make a walking/park area for the property on 4th. They gave the lame brain response at one time it is on floodplain. lol
Good news.
This planning dept. of the city needs a major shakeup.
You bet. I would want somebody to investigate this whole transaction. Something doesn’t smell right. Someone stood to make a bunch of money.
Regarding the former maintenance yard, why affect another group of residents? There would just be another protest. This transit site needs to be away from a residential area.
How much do we pay the planning department? I’m with “guesswhat”, the city planning department needs a major shakeup. We as taxpayers put confidence and tax dollars into such departments, it’s not unreasonable to expect some value.
Being right beside a huge hydro substation who would have thought the reaction. All the residential is far enough away only the mice would hear the buses starting up. They would hear the air tools during the day
slinky how many yrs do you think it will be before all buses will be converted over to NG in Prince George? You may have to suck in a lot of smoke before this happens.
I’d say never , oldman 1 . On an even more ironic note . Saskatchewan will be the first place in canada with an industrial scale geothermal plant . They are very proud of the jobs creations and the prestige of being first . Just another case of BC lagging . Back in 83 a bc study found that BC had enough geothermal resources to power the whole province .
You miss the point slinky. We have about 5 Industrial Parks in Prince George. Why would we not put an industry in an industrial area.??
And while everyone is occupied with this, they’re sneaking in how many AAP proposals?
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