Does proposed development align with Vernon’s Climate Action Plan?

Development's impact

Kerkhoff Develop Build has applied to the City of Vernon to build more than 1,800 homes on a 1,000-acre site on the Vernon Commonage.

In order to be built, the development will require city council to approve an Official Community Plan amendment. This column will explores how Kerkhoff’s 580 Commonage project aligns with Vernon’s Climate Action Plan.

Regarding governance, the plan states the climate change “lens” is used across all government activities, which includes granting the OCP amendment Kerkhoff needs to build its proposed development.

Core services and infrastructure

Wildfire Protection – The proposed development is in the wildland-urban interface, the area where human development meets, or mixes with, wildland vegetation. Wildfires in the area pose a significant threat to communities because they can involve buildings and forest fuel simultaneously, making them complex and challenging to extinguish. This development would increase Vernon’s vulnerability to wildfire and increase the difficulty and expense of protecting Vernon from wildfire.

Emissions reduction – Because of its distance from the downtown core, the proposed development would require significant infrastructure development, far above housing built closer to preexisting developed areas. Building and maintaining this infrastructure and will create excess emissions.

Waste management – Liquid waste management would also require significant new infrastructure development, causing excessive emissions to build and maintain. Solid waste management would require ongoing excessive emissions to service a development distant from developed areas.

Water conservation – The development would need to be provided with adequate household water, pumped uphill creating excessive emissions, as well as a significant supply of water for wildfire protection. This would use additional water, opposing water conservation.

Increasing permeable areas – This development would decrease permeable areas through road, driveway and housing footprint construction, above and beyond what would be needed for housing built closer to developed areas, as well as disrupting the water absorption that exists naturally on this hillside.

Protecting natural assets – This development would degrade the existing natural assets to the point of insignificance.

Ecosystem health and biodiversity

Sensitive ecosystems – Climate sensitive ecosystems and species are protected. The CAP states, “Use the updated sensitive ecosystem inventory to strengthen policies to protect, enhance, restore and expand critical climate sensitive areas”. The development would adversely affect designated sensitive ecosystems and species and is incompatible with Vernon’s CAP.

Invasive species – Introducing greater human impacts into this sensitive ecosystem would increase the introduction of invasive species.

Public education – What kind of education would the public get from a city government that went entirely against its own policies relating to emissions reductions and protecting habitat and sensitive ecosystems?

Land-use and transportation

Development - Residential uses are developed in close proximity to commercial services, employment, schools and recreational amenities. The CAP recommends reducing/avoiding infrastructure and transportation costs. Growing up not growing out, densification over urban sprawl is an important existing and future development goal for the City of Vernon. Building a large residential development so far from existing developed area directly contravenes these goals.

Transportation - Active transportation is the first choice to move around Vernon. Another goal is to encourage the increased use of public transit. Neither of these options will be available to residents of this proposed development. The development is too far to walk or bicycle into town and there will be no public transit available until there is enough ridership, which is unlikely. This development will basically require that every residence owns at least one vehicle – again causing excessive emissions and going entirely against Vernon’s CAP.

Economic development

An economic development action is to “integrate climate change considerations into economic development planning and decisions.” As has been shown, approving this development violates climate change considerations regarding increased emissions and improving resilience.

Health

Included under health are reducing healthcare costs, increasing inclusiveness in society and facilitating social connection. The distance of this development from developed areas, including healthcare infrastructure will cause increased healthcare costs, both for routine and urgent care and will decrease inclusiveness and social connection because only people with the highest incomes will be able to afford to live in this area.

Considering the co-benefits of Vernon’s Climate Action Plan, this development would oppose the following:

• Improving biodiversity, water retention/absorption, air and/or water quality, equity/improvements for vulnerable population, community livability/vitality, cost savings, human health and well-being, carbon storage/sequestration, green space/recreation, water and/or energy efficiency.

• Reducing waste, extreme temperatures, congestion, burden on waste water infrastructure.

• Optimizing energy savings, resources.

• Supporting clean energy transition.

The proposed development directly conflicts with Vernon’s Climate Action Plan. Overriding these existing guidelines by approving the OCP amendment required to develop this important and ecologically sensitive area would send a very negative message to the residents of Vernon about the integrity of their city council.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.