Former municipal councilors Wolfgang Duntz and Daron Jennings took the floor at this week’s council meeting to pitch two large developments that they say are connected through the demographic necessities of Bowen Island. The first, called Parkview Slope, would cover the lands between Artisan Square to Tirnanog Theatre School and around Leigh Automotive. The second development, known as Seymour Landing, surrounds the golf course and the shoreline east of Seymour Bay. Duntz told council that he wanted to see them pass the proposal through first reading before the end of term, and let the Bowen Islanders decide where to take it based on who they vote for in the next election.
Parkview Slope, says Duntz, is an idea born out of necessity as opposed to his previous “dream” for the area.
“Artisan Square was supposed to be a live-work area for a proposed college, where artisans who had valued, but dying skills could pass on their trades. We also wanted IPS to be up there. It would have been a very quirky, special place for people to live and to work,” says Duntz.
The current development proposal is envisioned as a place where young families, and people who currently cannot afford to be on Bowen, could live. Under current zoning, the roughly 90 acres of land in the proposed development would provide space for 24 lots of single-family homes. Duntz says he would like to see 100 homes on this area, which would include rental housing, non-market housing, and eco-friendly “micro” homes that would be between 750 and 1,100 square feet.
“There are many people that would love to come here, but right now they can’t afford to,” says Duntz. “Also, we have all of these half acre lots on Bowen and that is not what people want. Young people can’t afford a half-acre, and seniors don’t want to take care of that much land. Also, you can’t really build community when everyone just has their own large chunk of space. You need to provide a place where people can come together.”
Duntz says the density increase on Seymour Landing would be comparable to that of Parkview Slope. The proposal also includes independent and supportive living for seniors, an inn, and a retreat centre.
“If we want a medical centre on Bowen Island, then we need to make that viable,” says Duntz. “A development for seniors would do that. There are two kinds of doctors that would come to Bowen, the first are semi-retired doctors, who don’t want their own practice. For them, we need a health clinic where they could share a space with other doctors. The other doctors are the young ones, who have a huge debt-load from school. In order to pay that off, they need clients. That’s what we would provide through the seniors housing.”
One of the key components to making this development work, says Duntz, is the creation of a transportation link from that part of the island directly to downtown Vancouver.
“We would build a small dock on Seymour Bay, big enough for a water taxi and a few boats to bring people directly downtown,” says Duntz. “The notion that people will drive to town and back is past. People increasingly value their time, and don’t want spend an hour in their cars going back and forth. Right now, they live in condominiums and don’t even want to own a car. If we can get them downtown without getting on the ferry, if we can build a community right where they live, we can make that same lifestyle possible for them here on Bowen.”
The retreat centre envisioned on the area is what Duntz calls the remnant of his original dream surrounding the Artisan Square development.
“I want a place where people can come and seek meaning in their lives,” he says. “What this centre will provide will keep people coming back to Bowen, over and over, for a very good reason.”
The creation of an inn, he says, would develop out of the need created through this retreat. Also, along the waterfront, there would be guest cottages.
“With this we could guarantee that the waterfront would remain accessible to the public,” says Duntz, “unlike the development at Cape Roger Curtis.”
He says these developments, in terms of density, are modest and designed to fit within Bowen Island as opposed to an urban area.
While presenting this case at council, Duntz added that he regrets no longer being able to sit as a councillor, however, he appreciated the opportunity and particularly the opportunity to serve as a councillor with the Islands Trust.
“Travelling around to the other islands, I saw that there was a similar, anti-development attitude as what exists here on Bowen, only stronger,” said Duntz. “If you think you are against development, then you should go do a tour of the islands. If you come back and are not extremely depressed, then move to Saturna.”
