Thursday, October 27, 2011

West Linley Valley Nanaimo


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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