Seniors project survives vote

Photo: Contributed

The contentious Banks Crescent seniors development in Summerland survived an unexpected vote of confidence Monday evening.

The week after a boisterous town hall that packed the Centre Stage Theatre, council debated the next steps for the 380-unit seniors housing project.

As expected, Mayor Peter Waterman said they formally requested more information from the developer about the its impact on the local trout hatchery.

“We need to probe into that further, because the other issues, although important, are we believe secondary to the concerns around the hatchery.”

The district is planning a second town hall, on a date to be determined, after at last week’s session ran until 9:30 p.m., with several people missing the chance to speak.

“But what happened last night was ... one of the councillors (Holmes) decided to move second reading,” Waterman said noting council was not planning on holding an actual vote on the project going into the meeting.

After an “energetic” debate, Waterman said the motion passed 5-2.

The second reading means a formal public hearing is now required to move the project any further. Had the vote failed, it would have killed the development.

“The councillors that voted for the second reading, were looking to move the issue forward so more inquires could be made to satisfy their questions, primarily about the hatchery situation,” Waterman said.