Land owners upset with city's park plans
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Updated: July 14, 2009 2:12 PM
Land owners near Minnekhada regional park accused the city of Coquitlam of taking away their private property rights in order to build a sports field complex on Burke Mountain.
And they warned the city would be negligent to create such a facility given the number of bears heading to the territory in the spring and summer to hunt for food.
Many of the 15 speakers at a public hearing on the issue Monday at Coquitlam city hall — some of whom have lived near the park for more than 30 years — talked about the abundant wildlife in the area, which is surrounded by a salmon-bearing river and blueberry fields in Port Coquitlam.
"If you have a child in that area and he's eating an ice cream cone and he drops it, then he becomes the ice cream cone," Oliver Road resident Sharon Beckar said. "You just can't have a [field] in bear habitat. You have got the bear's dinner plate on all sides. It's not a matter if someone will be hurt — it's when someone will be hurt."
The public hearing, which lasted two hours, was held after council granted first reading to an official community plan amendment bylaw in May to change the zoning of 60 acres — bounded by Oliver Road, Gilleys Trail, Quarry Road and Minnekhada — from suburban residential to parks and recreation; of the 12 properties, three are owned by the city.
Jim McIntyre, Coquitlam's general manager of planning, said the purpose of the OCP change is to look at the big picture for Burke Mountain, where the city plans to add 20,000 more residents over 15 years, and "a new sports field complex will be required" for that area and the north side of PoCo.
The intent is to develop the properties over time, although no timeline was given. If approved by council next Monday, the re-designation would affect owners with land applications now before the city as they wouldn't be able to subdivide, McIntyre said. As a result, the only buyer to the properties would be the city, which has promised to offer the longtime residents market value.
But Gilleys Trail homeowner Wes Roots said he recently received a letter from the city that offers a purchase price that is 75% of his property tax assessment.
"We are not looking for money but equal space and land in the city," Roots said, a sentiment echoed by other speakers who noted the city owns more than 200 acres on Burke. "This property represents my hard work for many, many years."
"You want this because it's flat and easy to develop," Brian Beckar told city council. "We will even take the hillside. You are our only buyer if you vote this through."
Debbie Sergent said she and her husband wanted to leave a legacy for their children and grandchildren but, if they must leave, they want to sell in the market they choose. She also asked city staff for assurances in writing they would maintain the current price.
"This is not buying properties for sale, it's extortion," said John Fister, a Gilleys Trail resident, who said his letters to city staff have gone unanswered. He also compared the city to a bully and said, "The city's tactics are like a hit-and-run accident."
"I feel the city is in a conflict of interest as it's the only buyer and can rezone the property," his neighbour, Robert Holm, said, and asked the city for an independent land-value audit. "Our land should be [bought] at a premium, not at a discount."
On Tuesday, Mayor Richard Stewart said the city isn't forcing anyone to sell. "If they want to live there for the next 100 years, they can do that," he said, adding, "It's really unfortunate the level of rhetoric that happened last night."
jwarren@tricitynews.com
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