by Nerys Poole
Bowen Island Undercurrent, Jan 11, 2008
All Bowen Islanders will be paying for the density proposals of the developer/owners of the Cape Roger Curtis lands for a long time to come. A developer friend has told me he could make a tidy profit by building 60 residential units on the Cape Roger Curtis lands, and still preserve 60 to 70 per cent of the lands as protected park area. The math is simple – developing a smaller area means less infrastructure costs. Keeping the numbers down means sales in the immediate future and an immediate return on one’s investment. People will buy these lots because of the rural character and the beauty around them, not because they want to live in an urban-style community more suitable for the Lower Mainland.
Why are the current owners not considering this option? Good question – and one all Bowen Islanders should be asking. After the owners have taken their profit from these lands, it will not be the owners who have to battle the ferry lineups. It will not be the owners who will be facing water shortages. It will not be the owners who will be paying higher taxes to repair the damage done to the small, rural roads as a result of heavy construction equipment travelling back and forth. It will not be the owners who will be breathing in the extra pollution as hundreds more vehicles travel back and forth across the island. It will not be the owners who will be facing their grandchildren and trying to answer the question – Grandma, why didn’t you do something, to “preserve and protect” our beautiful island?
All Bowen Islanders will be paying for the density proposals of the developer/owners of the Cape Roger Curtis lands for a long time to come.