In the early 1980s, I worked at the Island Hall Hotel (now known as the Beach Club Resort and the Parksville Beach Resort).
During that time, the hotel encountered financial difficulties. In an effort to keep the operation viable, the owners submitted a proposal to build a three-storey condominium building on the site of the Katherine-Jo annex by the tennis courts. The proposal was turned down because of height restrictions and concerns from residents that it would block views of the beach.
I have to wonder — if this modest proposal to save the hotel had been approved at that time, would we be having the current controversy about the Beach Club and the latest proposal of a 16-storey tower?
Glen Hasslinger
Errington