Skip to content

LETTER: Summerland’s Cartwright Mountain is potential park land

Proposed eco-village site home to more than 73 species of birds as well as a host of wildlife
30577169_web1_letters-fwm-0703-letterw_1
Send your letter to the editor via email to news@summerlandreview.com. Please included your first and last name, address, and phone number.

Dear Editor:

I read with interest Pati Hill’s letter on Sept. 30 regarding rezoning of a property on Mott Street in Summerland. Through much work by her and her neighbours, they pressured council to deny the infill of the single-family property.

With this in mind, consider the following:

Council has, in the past year, decided that Cartwright Mountain should be rezoned from Institutional to Residential to allow for an eco-village to go along with the downsized solar farm. This is green washing at its worst.

READ ALSO: Summerland council endorses eco-village plan

READ ALSO: Summerland council seeks input on eco-village concept plan

The area proposed for this development is prime recreation land used by hikers, runners, dog walkers, cyclists and equestrians. It is home to more than 73 species of birds as well as a host of wildlife, including deer, bears, coyotes and cougars. A survey was conducted by Modus Community Engagement and Design with only 118 responses. Of those 118, 45 per cent did not support the plan. Despite this, council gave it third reading to go forward with the rezoning.

This is municipal land that will be sold to a developer and this beautifully wooded area will no longer be available to Summerland citizens to enjoy. Cartwright Mountain is within walking distance of downtown and the valley area is very accessible for families with small children and provides trails to those who can’t navigate steep hills. It would be a shame to hand this over to be paved and cemented out of existence.

With the municipality struggling to find space for a dog park, tennis courts, and pickleball courts it would seem that creating a recreational hub on Cartwright would make more sense than selling off what little accessible potential park land we have.

So I would encourage people to ask the new council members where they stand on this issue. Don’t let them sell off this precious, invaluable potential park land.

People can make a difference if they speak up — remember Banks Crescent.

Dawn Richards

Summerland

To report a typo, email:
news@summerlandreview.com
.



news@summerlandreview.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.