Feature Stories
Trouble In Paradise - continued
By Chad Hershler published Mar 1, 2009
A Gibsons condo development hangs in the balance as citizens fight to retain the small-town character that brought them to the Sunshine Coast in the first place
From my vantage, Marshall seems the coach to Gillies's athlete, preparing him for the next round. Save your energy, he seems to be saying, there's more to come. It's a new role for Marshall, helping two classic opponents-town and developer-prepare for a game neither is used to playing.
And then, just like that, the game is over. Early July, and word has it Gillies has pulled out. "He came back in with revised plans that people were happy with," Marshall tells me over the phone from his office. "But I heard through the grapevine that the revised plans didn't work out financially." (Gillies himself says he'll concentrate on other projects in Pemberton and Washington state, but that he continues to be in love with the Shoal Bay site.) It's the outcome that Marshall most feared; still, he's optimistic about the future. "We have a better understanding of the desires of the community now," he says, "what will and won't be acceptable."
All the negotiations, town meetings, and open houses, the council vote and public hearing, are paying off, he says. The Upper Gibsons Neighbourhood Plan has just begun a similar process, and with Shoal Bay behind them, Marshall admits that at least they now know what to expect. "We cut our teeth on Shoal Bay, in a sense," he says.
Just don't expect Grant Gillies to say, "You're welcome."
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Discussed
Had the Shoal Bay proposal gone ahead in June 2008, Grant Gillies would have been up to his ears pre-selling units in his Shoal Bay development in order to finance his project, just as the real estate market bottomed out. As we hear daily news reports of Vancouver developers dragging desperate pre-sold condo buyers to court for more than just their down payments, you could say that the Gibsons community saved our neighbourhood from a real estate meltdown that might have financially ruined the senior citizens looking to retire in the only development with an elevator in Gibsons. Heck, you could even say that the citizens of Gibsons Landing saved Mr. Gillies from potential financial disaster. You never know, maybe Grant would say your welcome after all? ;} Suzanne
