A controversial move by Peachland district council to 害羞草研究所渃larify害羞草研究所� its Official Community Plan, as it relates to two Beach Avenue properties where a developer wants to build a five-storey building, drew a large crowd Tuesday night.

And the crowd, estimated at over 100害羞草研究所攎any of whom oppose plans for the PeachTree Village development害羞草研究所攚ere unhappy with both council害羞草研究所檚 plan to change the wording of the OCP and to hold the meeting in council chambers instead of a larger room.

害羞草研究所淭o hold it in a room that accommodates so few people was ridiculous,害羞草研究所� said Randy Brophey of the Friends of Beach Avenue.

He said his group does not argue with the council害羞草研究所檚 right to change the OCP but it is opposed to the development in question.

Opponents of the PeachTree Village development do not want to see buildings as tall as five storeys on the district害羞草研究所檚 lakeshore. The group has launched legal action to try and stop development and claims large public opposition is not being listened to by council. It says a 900-name petition was ignored.

But Mayor Cindy Fortin said she believes the opponents are a vocal minority. She said she has had many people in the district tell her they want to see the development go ahead because there has not been any major development in the downtown core in 30 years.

The Friends of Beach Avenue害羞草研究所檚 petition to the B.C. Supreme Court is based on what the group calls the OCP害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所渧ery strong language害羞草研究所� that it says states buildings should be no higher than three-stories on Beach Avenue.

害羞草研究所淭he main thing is we want to keep Peachland as a calm, quiet town,害羞草研究所� said association director Lloyd Sotas.

害羞草研究所淲e don害羞草研究所檛 appreciate the change of the OCP in this willy-nilly manner to allow the PeachTree development to go ahead. This is being done in a manner that we don害羞草研究所檛 really understand why. We don害羞草研究所檛 know why they are doing this so quickly without public input.害羞草研究所�

He added concerns about the development include the availability of parking, as well as the Peachland Fire Department害羞草研究所檚 lack of a ladder truck to access a five-storey buildings in the case of fire.

According to Peachland chief administrative officer Elsie Lemke, the OCP is a 害羞草研究所渃larification害羞草研究所� to make sure the reference to three storey buildings on Beach Avenue is a guideline, not a regulation.

The district is in the process of re-writing its OCP, a large task that will not be complete until later this year.

Lemke said the public will have an opportunity to address council害羞草研究所檚 planned wording change for the two properties in question at a public hearing that will take place Jan. 30. That meeting will take place in the gymnasium of the Peachland Community Centre.

As for Tuesday night害羞草研究所檚 council meeting and the large crowd it attracted, Lemke said district staff called the police in when the fire chief ruled the council chamber was over its legal occupancy capacity. Fortin said she asked several times for volunteers in the standing room-only crowd to move into an adjoining room with a live video feed but no one agreed.

Also during the meeting, veteran Coun. Terry Condon, who had given $20 to the Friends of Beach Avenue to help support its legal fight against the district, was ruled in a conflict of interest and had to remove himself from discussion on the proposed development.

Fortin said the district sought legal advice on Condon害羞草研究所檚 conflict of interest.

But Brophey called the move to exclude Condon a 害羞草研究所渂ullying tactic害羞草研究所� by the mayor.

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