A local environment group is voicing its displeasure towards Prince George City Council for showing its “unanimous support” for the UNBC Land Trust project.
During a March city council meeting, Interim UNBC President Dr. Bill Owen says the project would see 1800 residential units house up to 4,000 people.
The land in question sits across from Tyner Boulevard and is 47-acres in size.
Ginters Green Forever Organizer, Jenn Matthews told MyPGNow.com a project such as this, if approved, would go against the Official Community Plan.
“People just came out and said green space is important to us and we don’t want urban sprawl – it’s bad for the tax base, it’s bad for the forest, it is bad for the community’s attractiveness and some of that was reflected in the new official community plan.”
“If this goes through, it will need an amendment to the community plan, which would involve a public hearing and how can a public hearing act in good faith if everyone has decided that they are all in on it.”
Simply put, Matthews is of the opinion an ambitious project like this should be located elsewhere.
“We think densification is a great strategy for having development in Prince George, we just need it not to happen not in green spaces. So, places like the bowl and already serviced areas so that it’s not a burden on tax payers. It’s kind of a cool project in the density sense but it’s just in the wrong place.”
The focus of the presentation during a recent city council meeting was the 27 acres of the land which were originally part of the UNBC lands.
UNBC Interim President Dr. Bill Owen says a university district could help attract and retain students, professionals and entrepreneurs.
The area in question is strategically located along a transit corridor for the City, which provides opportunity.
“If I was a faculty member or student at UNBC, I would be disappointed that this institution didn’t include any of us and that would be really disappointing to me. I think a lot of people are feeling like that,” added Matthews.
Currently, a reverter clause is in place for the area, that simply states that if the land is used for anything other than education or academic purposes, the University would have to pay for that land.
Owen is seek civic advocacy in either helping to remove the reverter clause or to have the province encourage other considerations around the reverter clause, that would move this project forward.
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