Wiltse Highland Trails - Housing Development

The Wiltse family is presenting a two-day Open House for members of the public to drop in and provide input on a new development which is set to change the Wiltse Highland trail networks forever - and you as riders should care.

The first Open House runs Wednesday May 29th between 4 and 8pm at the Penticton Rec' Center

The second one runs Thursday, May 30th at the Wiltse Elementary School, again between 4 and 8pm

So here's the deal; we have really no say in what the family decides to do with their property - where we can make a difference however is in lobbying for continued access to the lands behind the project. This shouldn't be too difficult, as new home buyers also enjoy access to hiking / biking trails near their homes.

So - I am suggesting that it would be a worthwhile effort for you to show up at either of the Open House events, speak with Don Wiltse and remind him that the community at large would greatly appreciate continued access to the existing trail networks which criss-cross the Wiltse Highlands. We may loose one or two access points, but hopefully we'll gain others.

A few more details are available here.

Andrew

Here is hoping that loads of riders practiced a little G.O.Y.A and made it down to speak with the developers of the Wiltse Highlands housing development. The proposal was quite detailed and Don Wiltse was open to conversation, as were city and RDOS officials.

It appears that the development will be more or less limited to the flat areas west of the existing power lines, and that there will be multiple access points to the existing Wiltse trail networks from the hydro lines > east into the hills.

I personally cannot believe that anyone in their right mind would want to live as close to those 230 kilovolt lines as the Wiltse plan proposed: the lots are laid out with the back yards of the homes butted up against the power-line right of way...

"Let's let Bobby and Sally bath in a high intensity electromagnetic field for a few years and see what happens..."

Andrew

As I always say; "this advocacy stuff pays off". I received a call from the developers of the new Wiltse Highlands infrastructure this afternoon, asking what trail user-groups seek in the way of access to the highlands east of the hydro lines - an area which is outside of the proposed Highlands residential area.

I'm intend on seeking clear passage to the zone which hosts both access and egress to Barry's G-Spot singletrack, as it provides connection to everything else on the west slope of the Highlands. Does anyone have any other suggestions that they would like me to bring to the table?

Andrew