Diamond Valley residents are making their voices heard as they offer input into potential development projects in their town.
Rather than chatting on the street corner, residents are getting together informally to discuss healthy development in their communities in an ongoing conversation that is opening the lines of communication between residents, the Town and those interested in investing in the Diamond Valley area.
Chris Weingarth said the creation of the Healthy Development Conversation began with a discussion between himself, his wife and housemaid in July about a proposed development at the Wood King property in Black Diamond.
It was suggested the conversation go beyond the kitchen table so Chris sent emails to others who might also be interested in getting more information about the proposed development and cultivating friendly conversations in the community.
“Rather than just people trying to hash it out in a public hearing forum and doing a simple yes and no vote, it would be nice to have a number of different forums for those conversations and issues,” he said. “The healthy development conversation is just one forum. It’s to have a conversation that gets people together that might not be sharing their views with each other.”
It wasn’t long before residents gathered to discuss the proposed development of a commercial centre featuring a grocery store, retail stores, gas bar, restaurant and commercial space at the Wood King property. Weingarth said the citizens spoke with the developer to learn more about the plans for the property.
Although the development didn’t materialize, the momentum continued. The residents were soon discussing Jaymont Developers’ interest in building a Tim Hortons in Black Diamond.
Weingarth said interested residents met with Jaymont’s principal Jason Williams the evening before Black Diamond Town council held its public hearing on Dec. 3 regarding its upcoming decision about whether or not to allow drive thru services in the area.
Residents asked questions of Williams and shared their views about a Tim Hortons in Black Diamond, Weingarth said.
“There’s a lot more you can say without the constraints of a public hearing,” he said. “It felt like people had the opportunity to become informed about what some of the different facets of the issues were prior to the council meeting.”
Weingarth said conversations are also made with members of council and Town administration to get accurate information and share feelings about development projects in the community.
Turner Valley resident Murray Knowler said these types of decisions shouldn’t be left solely on the shoulders of council, that residents should get involved as well.
He said these conversations are a great way to look at varying points of view in the community, using the proposed Tim Hortons as an example.
“We started looking at the pros and cons,” he said. “We had people from both camps, which was perfect. That’s what we wanted. This was our opportunity to have a larger discussion on what we really wanted for both communities.”
Knowler said the conversations allowed him to see what other people felt about the proposed development.
“The reason they chose the community was because we had something special,” he said. “I also met some people that were really for the project. I looked at their points and saw they were real valid, too.”
Knowler said the conversations residents are having is further connecting the community.
“The process itself of getting together and really exploring the issue in as much depth as we can is even more important in some ways than the outcome,” he said. “It’s generating discussion. It’s a community building process.”
Those interested in having conversations about healthy development in the Diamond Valley area are invited to contact Chris Weingarth at [email protected]
