Dear editor,

We are happy the contractor who is building Costco was not approved to work outside of the perimeters in the Prevention of Public Nuisances Bylaw (Bylaw 1798), and is not permitted to make construction noise on Sundays.

We bought our home on Elderberry Crescent and researched what the property behind our home was zoned as, and so did all of our neighbours. It was zoned residential and formed part of the OCP.

However, with the approval of five city council members, the rezoning and changes to the OCP were fast-tracked through and the property was changed to a commercial zoning.

We tried to fight the rezoning with over 200 signatures on a petition, personal letters written to City Hall, many e-mails, and even expressing our concerns at a public forum. However, the rezoning went through.

Clearing of the Costco site started with most of the trees being mowed down, the land was prepped, and then the construction started. All the noise has been ongoing six days per week with usually a 7 a.m. start, and they have also been working on quite a few Sundays, which is in breach of the Nuisance Bylaw without a permit to make noise on Sundays.

The 鈥渕yths and untruths鈥� of Costco being built on the site and the real estate value of our home plummeting in value have become a very harsh reality.

We once had a very quiet and peaceful home and it was wonderful. Our quality of life, in our once-quiet home, has been very much impacted by the noise, especially from all the large machinery.

Our dishes have been rattling in our cupboards and pictures on our walls vibrating. The construction site also has 鈥渟tadium-style鈥� lights that shine into the homes in the subdivision, which is very unpleasant.

At the city hall meeting on Monday, Feb. 7, Coun. Murray Presley raised the discussion regarding the application by the contractor to be permitted to make noise on Sundays. Coun. Presley stated if the contractor would be permitted to make noise and build on Sundays, they would be done the project sooner and the noise would end sooner.

What!?

If they build seven days per week and complete it sooner, it only ends the construction noise and then the business noise starts.

Once Costco is open, the store operates seven days per week, and they will make lots of noise with deliveries, semi-trucks beeping, unloading of shipments with forklifts, reefer units on semi-trailers, and endless shipments seven days per week for years to come. Also, add in the noise from garbage trucks, recycling trucks, snowplows, parking lot street-sweepers, and traffic noise, etc.

With the permit to make noise on Sundays not approved and an anticipated opening date not until approximately sometime in June, this gives our neighbourhood 16 to 20 Sundays that will be wonderful, quiet Sundays to enjoy.

We thank the council members who voted against the permit application.

S. Lesperance,

Courtenay