Re:132 homes eyed for Sooke core (News, Oct. 22)
Sooke council has other levers it can use that are not part of the building code to negotiate with developers, such as the cash-in-lieu approach.
Suppose the developer pays money to avoid his responsibility to the climate needs of our community. In that case, the district should put the money into a trust and offer residents a grant.
Nanaimo offers this approach.
Would I personally prefer to see this land remain as farmland and food security land for Sooke? Well, yes, of course.
I would like to see Sooke food security lands stretching from Church Road right through the best remaining land in central Sooke to link up with Woodside Farm. We will need this buffer in the future or face continuing high shipped-in food costs.
However, if Sooke feels that it must develop farmland into housing, please regard each decision from the climate impact it will produce in the future and take steps to mitigate that impact in a real and tangible way.
Chris Moss
Sooke
editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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