Kelowna

On the same day City Council gave the go ahead to borrow $14M for a new parkade next to Memorial Arena, Sharron Simpson said she would not stand in their way.

Photo: Kelly Hayes - Castanet File Photo

Sharron Simpson won't fight city hall

Simpson told Castanet, it's time someone else stepped up to fight city hall, if that's the wish of the citizens of Kelowna.

"It doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the citizens of Kelowna," stated Simpson Monday afternoon following council's decision.

The proposed new parkade would sit on lands sold to the city by her grandfather, Stanley Simpson, in 1946. Part of the covenant agreement between Simpson and the city of the day, was that the lands would be used for civic purposes only.

Simpson fought a similar six-year battle with the city in the mid 2000's.

That challenge, which began with the city's desire to sell a portion of covenant lands to developer Mark Milroy for the now defunct Lawson's Landing project, ended with Simpson winning a Supreme Court decision.

In that decision, the BC Supreme Court upheld the covenant saying the land is subject of 'an historic document preventing the lands from being used for commercial purposes'.

Since news of the new parkade surfaced, Simpson has stated it is a commercial enterprise and not a civic use as stated by city officials.

"This council should be ashamed of themselves. I think this council is being disrespectful," says Simpson who went on to say she fought the fight once and doesn't want to spend the time or the money to do it again.

Council's decision Monday came on the heels of an Alternative Approval Process in which only 165 people voice their disapproval.

Simpson says the results of the AAP shows maybe the citizens are okay with the parkade.

The new parkade, plus a $1M addition to the Library parkade are being proposed in order to facilitate an influx of about 1,000 Interior Health employees to a new IH building at the corner of Doyle and Ellis.