While many Summerlanders signed petitions and wrote letters in opposition to the now defeated Banks Crescent development proposal, the decision was left to council, not the public.
Linda Tynan, chief administrative officer for Summerland, said a decision on rezoning a property for development is a matter for those on council.
“Rezoning is a council decision, according to the Local Government Act,” she said. “This was a rezoning application that couldn’t be deflected away from council.”
Tynan added that the Local Government Act, which governs municipalities, sets out the parameters for going to a referendum. This is normally done when borrowing money is at issue.
The last time Summerland went to a referendum was in fall of 2010, to decide whether to allow the municipality to borrow funds for the RCMP detachment.
Tynan added that the decision on the Banks Crescent development was made carefully.
“It was a good, thorough process,” she said. “Throughout the process, there was due diligence involved.”