Letter to the Editor

At the recent JCI All Candidates Forum, candidates were asked a straightforward question; “What are you going to do to fix the mess at Wildstone?  Only one road in and out at a dangerous intersection.”

The response from current Mayor Price was not only disappointing; it was also misleading.

On several occasions, Mayor Price described the situation at Wildstone as the result of a “failed plan,” saying, “This is what you see with stratas.  This is a failed strata.  It has failed multiple times, and the city is not in a position to build the roads.”

While the Wildstone development did experience financial difficulties in 2010, that was 16 years ago.  Today, Boulder Creek, the Whins and Legacy Lookout are vibrant, established parts of the Cranbrook community.  To continue to characterize Wildstone as a “failed” development ignores the significant growth and investment that have taken place over the past decade and a half.

Mayor Price then suggested that it is the taxpayers in the Cranbrook core who will ultimately pay for people who “live in a strata and want to live a strata lifestyle.” This appears to imply that residents of strata developments somehow receive preferential treatment or relief from municipal taxation.

That is simply not the case.  Homes within these strata developments pay exactly the same municipal tax rates as every other Cranbrook taxpayer.  In addition, strata residents pay privately for services such as garbage collection, snow removal and landscaping, costs that would otherwise be borne, at least in part, by the municipality.

Rather than receiving a special tax advantage, strata residents are contributing to the city’s tax base while also paying directly for services that reduce the burden on municipal resources.

I would point out that it was the current city council under the leadership of Mayor Price that recently approved construction of approximately 375 new apartment units within Wildstone, yet the developer was not required to fund the roadways and additional entrances/exits that will be necessary to safety accommodate this significant increase in traffic.

The result is that potentially another 375 vehicles will eventually be using Wildstone Drive, which funnels traffic through a single stop sign at a blind curve.  This is not simply an inconvenience or problem for those who have chosen to live in a strata community.  It is a legitimate municipal planning and public safety issue that affects everyone who uses this roadway.

Kudos to Ron Miles, who when asked the same question, responded, “it’s a planning booboo but the city has got to take responsibility to solve the problem.”

Residents of Wildstone should not have to hear their community characterized as a “failed strata” when the development has continued to grow, attract new residents and become an established and desirable part of Cranbrook.

The question now is not who is to blame for what happened 16 years ago.  The question is: What is the City of Cranbrook going to do to ensure that Wildstone has safe and adequate access.

That is the question residents deserve a clear answer to.

Bill Sanderman,

Boulder Creek resident,

Cranbrook

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