Sunday, July 6, 2008

Negative Option With Cable Bay Lands Project

Negative option marketing is morally questionable business behaviour and yet it seems the city has embraced this policy with enthusiasm. 

Go Nanaimo Blog has laid out the Cable Bay Lands Project quite clearly. 

The city wants to take 39 hectares from the Regional District of Nanaimo to add to it's 420 hectares and allow an Alberta developer to come in and build a high density resort. The city has given Nanaimo residents opposed to this project about a month during prime holiday season to sign an Elector Response Form. You can also find and drop off these forms at the Green Store or the Thirsty Camel. If the city receives less than 5815 forms than the deal will go ahead. 

The Alberta developer wants to build more than 1800 residential units, a golf course and resort on this forested and trail covered land. This is a wildlife corridor and includes wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas. This self contained resort will bring little, if any benefit to the Nanaimo area. In fact, the burden on the city infrastructure will offset whatever tax payments the resort will make to the city. Not to mention the inevitable upgrades and civil works the city will have to provide to support the large scale development. Power lines, fiber optics, sewer, water, gas, roads and intersections.... 

The Cable Bay area is already subject to a relatively high rate of property crime. Adding a new subdivision so far from town and police services will likely only increase potential targets for thieves. These will be largely seasonal homes occupied by absentee well to do owners. We don't need another distraction for already overworked police services. 

It would be nice if the city of Nanaimo would consider a plebiscite that more accurately and thoroughly establishes the opinion of the citizens. Financial gain for a few should never be the bottom line. Real estate developers have become experts at selling these projects but they seldom serve the interests of anyone but a handful of investors. 

Please take a moment to fill out an Electoral Response Form at the Green Store or the Thirsty Camel downtown.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This saddens me & I hope we can stop this dead in its tracks. I was just watching a Nanaimo tourism promo & a key theme was its beautiful nature. In their words
"Emmerse yourself in nature"!!!!!
i sit here with my baby snug in my arms after a wonderful day spent outdoors all day. My 4 year old states how much fun she had exploring linley valley. She states "My legs are stronger and my lungs happy" I hope we can stand strong and save beautiful cable bay.

Lily said...

I hope it doesn't go through either. I'm a bit worried about the fact that we're starting two steps back thanks to the short notice to get people informed and of course the negative option strategy the city is using.