summary

The Parkview Slopes area of Cates Hill is currently zoned for 23 to 24 single-family residential lots (average approximately 1 acre each). Since all past planning efforts regarding future land uses in the Snug Cove area have concluded that the most appropriate and logical location for the creation of urgently needed non-market housing and local employment is within the periphery of Snug Cove, we want to find out whether the current zoning of Parkview Slopes within the Snug Cove area is still the preferred public choice over a diversified live/work community with alternative, affordable housing.

Our proposal is to transfer the density for the residential market housing from Parkview Slopes to Seymour Landing at Cowan Point. Seymour Landing could easily receive the density because the infrastructure in that area is vastly over-built relative to the number of properties served (i.e. roads, water storage and distribution system, water treatment plant, sewer collection/treatment/disposal system, single- and three-phase hydro systems, etc). For more details, see Rationale.

The density transfer would leave the land on Parkview Slopes (approximately 20 acres) at a nominal value, removing one of the biggest obstacles for affordable rental housing and affordable live/work spaces. Costs to develop the infrastructure (internal roads/driveways, water, sewer, hydro/tel/cable, etc) could be covered by developing part of the area as micro-homes on lease lots. The number and composition of units will be part of the discussion with the Municipality and the public about our proposal. For more information about this, see Details.

We submitted our application to Bowen Island Municipality on May 28, 2009. On this website you can read some history related to this application.

What's New

On December 20, 2009 we made a submission to the Official Community Plan ("OCP") Steering Committee in response to their invitation to the development community to contribute to the OCP update. In that submission we described some of the challenges for Bowen to be more sustainable (social, environmental, and economic well being), some items that should be addressed by an updated OCP to achieve greater sustainability (diversity, affordability, community life/spirit, local economy), and how some of the planning mistakes of the past can be changed.

On February 5, 2010 we published an ad entitled "The Big Picture" in which we address the "red herring" notion of "over development" on Bowen Island, and suggest that the focus instead should be on the Big Picture challenges to our community. On January 8, 2010 we published an ad entitled "2010 Preview" in which we discussed the Official Community Plan review and what lies ahead for the Cowan Point and Cates Hill projects. On December 25, 2009 we published an ad entitled "A Reflection About 2009." On December 18, 2009 we published an ad entitled "Bowen Island's Future - What Will It Be?" in which we discussed the current review of the Official Community Plan and suggested that a competition of ideas regarding Bowen's future be undertaken - allow the public to be the jury, and the best and most convincing ideas win. On December 11, 2009 we published an ad about our dreams for what Bowen Island could be like as a more sustainable community. On November 27, 2009 we published an ad entitled "Community -- What Does It Actually Mean?" On November 13, 2009 we published an ad entitled "Local Economy - Does It Really Matter?" On October 16, 2009 we published an advertisement entitled "Density Transfer -- what it means and how it could help toward the goal of sustainability." On October 9, 2009 we published an advertisement entitled "Sustainability and the Future of Bowen Island."