Group opposing housing development in the Commonage garnered public support

A local group has harnessed public support in opposing a proposed development in Vernon’s Commonage area.

The Stop Sprawl Vernon group hosted an information night and letter-writing workshop Thursday, May 7, which saw close to 50 attendees put pen to paper and raise concerns about the planned development at 580 Commonage Road.

The company Kerkhoff Develop-Build had put forward multiple variations of the plan to develop the property, with the most recent proposal outlining how the developer would build 3,500 new homes, 40 per cent of which would be attainably priced; take actions to preserve the environmentally sensitive areas; and, commit to pay for the expansion of the city’s water system, at no cost to the public.

Despite the concessions made by the developer, the group was still opposing the plan citing the “climate value of intact grasslands and the importance of long-term environmental stewardship in municipal planning decisions,” in a release shared with Vernon Matters, as well as “the importance of democratic process and respecting the good-faith participation of residents in the development of municipal planning documents such as Vernon’s Official Community Plan, Climate Action Plan, Transportation Plan, and related policy frameworks.”