SUMMERLAND– A contentious land swap proposal was at the top of the agenda in Summerland Monday night as council met for second and third reading of a new Official Community Plan.
In the end, council put off the vote on the plan that would see more than 200 acres of prime agricultural land near the downtown core taken out of the ALR for residential development.
It’s to be swapped with a 226 acre parcel in the Summerland hills.
The plan is facing a high level of opposition which was voiced at a rally last month and then again last week when more than 300 people showed up for a public hearing on the issue.
About 50 of those people had to be turned away because the meeting room was at capacity.
It’s for that reason, that Summerland council says the issue must be discussed further.
It has called for at least one town hall meeting in advance of another public hearing so people can ask questions and get information they may not already have.
Some residents are pleased the issue was not put to a vote Monday, others are disappointed that this process will be dragged out.
They say more time and more meetings will not change where they stand on taking prime agricultural land out of the ALR.
During last week’s public hearing 38 speakers made presentations. Eight spoke in favour of changing the OCP to allow the land to be removed, 30 were opposed.
A townhall meeting is tentatively set for April 7th.
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