Mixed Reaction to Airport Region Rezone

By 250 News

    Prince George, B.C. – The plan to   rezone some property near the Prince George Airport is meeting some resistance, but   the project is being hailed  as the first step towards taking advantage of the Pacific Gateway and the  expansion of the  Prince George Regional Airport..

The property is currently zoned Agriculture and Forestry, and the applicant wants it to be rezoned to general industrial.

This wouldn’t be the typical light industrial park, L&M Engineering’s Heather Oland says it will be  greener,  with treed  walkways and extensive landscaping,  she also says the buildings will be "attractive".

At the public hearing this evening,  Council received a petition with  58 names of people who support the Gunn Road residents.  The petition asks that the  rezoning be postponed until :

• a traffic impact study and sound impact tests are completed and
• "the residents of the surrounding area are informed and the information fully explained."

One resident sent a letter to Council saying the approval of this rezoning application will  cost him lost revenue, and will erode his family’s lifestyle.   Heath Ceperley says he  worries about his children who catch the bus on Gunn Road, and wonders if they will be safe when there is increased traffic into an area for light industrial use.  Ceperley says the  presentation by the  applicant was nice, "But there hasn’t been one mention  about what is to happen to the people who live along Gunn Road."  He  asked about sidewalks and traffic.  Although assured by Mayor Kinsley that a traffic impact study would have to be done, Ceperely wanted to know  about public input "When are we involved in that discussion?" Ceperley says no one has contacted  the ten residents along Gunn Road  to talk to them.

 The project involves more than 61 hectares of property which  applicant representative Harry Backlin says  are critical.  Backlin says there is enough residential  property available  to carry the needs of the community  for the next 20-25 years.  He says commercially  there is enough available " You aren’t going to see any  big shopping centres down the road for a long time, but you’ve got to open the doors to light industrial  development."

Backlin says the property, if approved would be  developed immediately "And it will be a first class light industrial Airport Logistics  park. "  He says it will be a  "real jewel" for light industry.  According to Backlin  if the community is going to  move forward with economic diversification,  the doors have to be opened to  light industrial development.

City Staff support the rezoning saying the application meets the Official Community Plan which lists the property as light industrial. The Official Community Plan has also indicated the support of “airport related industries in the vicinity of the Prince George Airport, and will limit inappropriate development from areas within the immediate flight-path, in order to maintain the integrity of the airport.”

The Department believes the applicant’s proposal is consistent with the “Light Industrial” designation, and is considered complimentary to the airport-related industry.

Also on  the side of the  development  is the Northern Initiatives Development Trust which wrote a letter supporting this rezoning, there were also letters of support from the  Prince George Airport Authority and from Initiatives Prince George.

There is a covenant attached to the approval.  The residents who opposed the rezoning will get at least part of their  request as final reading will be withheld until a  traffic impact study has been completed,  required highway  improvements are identified,  approval for those highway  improvements has been obtained,  the highway improvements are constructed and that there is no wrecking yard use within 100 metres of the future Boundary Road.

L&M’s David McWalter says the  Boundary Road will be  a 4 lane arterial road.  The traffic impact  study will be "A very public process and as always we are very happy to meet with residents"

"Ultimately  traffic volumes in this area will increase" says McWalter, "I hope they do increase  to  improve the business for this  City and the  business for the airport."  The  park would see  businesses that provide aircraft servicing, storage, cargo and warehousing.

Councillor Brian Skakun says  the community is at an "economic crossroads" and supported the  rezoning  "We need this kind of land, " said Skakun, "We are losing oppportunities to other communities because we don't have the light industrial lands."

Construction is expected to start  this fall.

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