City Responds To Citizens Requests
Nanaimo City Council has been approached by citizens who
would like to see the undeveloped lands in west Linley Valley designated as a
nature park and protected from development.
These lands are approximately 310 acres in size excluding the
lands currently under development as a residential subdivision adjacent to
Rutherford Road. Some are designated for imminent development while others are
identified in the Official Community Plan as “Urban Reserve” and are earmarked
for future urban development.
To designate the lands as a nature park and protect them
fully from development would likely require that the lands be acquired from the
existing owners at market value. The assessed value of the total 310 acres is
currently $6.6M.
The City has dedicated considerable amounts of money over the
past several years for acquisition of parks. Examples of recent City park
purchases include 146 acres in the Linley Valley at Cottle Lake, the expansion
of Neck Point Park by 3.2 acres, 20 acres at Joan Point (Dodds Narrows), 30
acres along the Millstone River and various parcels to expand and improve
Westwood Lake Park. These purchases were guided by the 2005 Parks, Recreation
and Culture Master Plan which establishes the City priorities for park
acquisition.
While acquisition of additional park in the west Linley
Valley through fair market value purchases would have many positive values, such
purchases are not on the City’s priority list, especially given the high cost,
Council’s limited park acquisition budget and the other priorities as expressed
in the Master Plan.
While not slated for purchase, the City will work with the
property owners as the properties are developed to maximize protection of
environmental features and to acquire public accesses and
trailways.
Citizen's Concerns For The Area
Would Like To See West Linley Valley Protected
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