Western Forest Products spoke at the June 24 Village of Port Alice Council meeting about the newly-amended boundaries of their upcoming proposed development.
After some concerns were raised about the potential impact to residential areas, WFP responded by changing the scope of the project to take out the areas that were above or close to residences. WFP’s Chris Peterson presented a new map of the area, showing that the proposed northern polygon has been deleted and that a new area has been added.
The changes followed an initial application Terrain Stability Assessment Report, a Western Geotechnical peer review, a risk assessment report, and a hazard assessment in line with the Guidelines for Residential Landslide Assessments.
Some Council members and the Mayor recently viewed the proposed development area by helicopter.
“I was actually amazed at how flat it is up there,” said Mayor Jan Allen.
The WFP representatives also confirmed that the development will be using both mechanical and hand-falling techniques, with an emphasis on mechanical.
One resident was concerned about how the development would control rainwater coming down, and it was explained that 18 culverts would be created to maintain natural drainage function on the hillside.