Stop the Sell Out!
Council Voting to Sell Beachfront Properties
No Public Input
No Audit of Bayloc
No Plan from Bayloc
This is our last chance to demand public input.
Protest at Town Hall
Thursday, May 26, 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM
R.S.V.P. - Please let us know if you are coming to the protest.
Protest
Secret negotiations may soon be complete between the Town of Wasaga Beach and residential home builder Bayloc Developments for the sale of our taxpayer-owned beachfront properties. On May 12, Council declared the lands surplus and will vote to sell them on May 26 at the 2:00 PM Council Meeting. This is your last chance to speak up and demand to know what Bayloc's plan is before bulldozers start clearing the lots in June.
Speak Up Wasaga! Hundreds have told us directly that they want public meetings before any sale and our professional poll and informal survey show that 95% of our residents feel the same way. Join us at Town Hall at 1:30 PM on Thursday, May 26 to protest the sale of our lands without any input from the public on the future of our beachfront. Be there to greet council members as they arrive. Stay as long as you care to. WBRA will be on hand until 3:00 PM.
Please RSVP or send us an email to membership@wasagaratepayers.com. Visit our new SpeakUpWasaga.com website to complete our survey and leave comments about the need for public meetings before selling the beachfront properties.
Background
Bayloc Developments, the firm behind Baycliffe Homes, was the only one left after FRAM withdrew and after discussions with the preferred developer, Slate Asset Management, fell through in January. Baycliffe has been the subject of a deputation to Council from the residents of the Baycliffe development known as Upper Wasaga Village over problems they experienced. Bayloc scored only 38% on the town's evaluation of their RFP submission. They have not been shown to be capable of taking on a project of the size and scope of the Beachfront Redevelopment.
No public meetings have been held, no design concept has been published, and no details have been released by the Town regarding the Bayloc proposal. At the beginning of this process, the mayor stated publicly; “If we get six lousy submissions, we’re not going to sell the town out. If we feel that none of them are sufficient, we have the right … to have another RFP. We aren’t bound by anything that comes forward.” Without any evidence to the contrary, it seems that Bayloc's may be a "lousy submission". With the secrecy and rush to complete a binding deal, it seems like we may be getting "sold out". Only after engaging with the public, informing us of the plan, and asking us what we want should Council make the decision to move ahead or have another RFP. Make no mistake; there are alternatives. Other well-qualified developers are willing to come to the table once the next council is elected and there is a clear mandate from the voters.