A public hearing was held to listen to a handful of concerns on rezoning a District Lot in Williams Lake.
The Williams Lake City Council heard six speakers voice questions and some concerns over the proposed rezoning of the Poplar Glade Site, on Huston Street and Eleventh Avenue North.
Also known as Lot 12, or District Lot 588, the former Poplar Glade Elementary School site has been proposed by the Williams Lake First Nations (WLFN), to rezone the now vacant lot from a Civic Assembly and Institutional (P-1) to a Neighbourhood Mixed and Multi-Use (MU-1).
“ What this does is it opens the opportunities for residential, commercial billings, single-family townhouses, accessory drawings, apartments, daycares, retail sales, restaurants, commercial recreational facilities, and others,” says Councillor Scott Nelson. Clarifying to the public in attendance what the rezoning would allow.
“I think the whole proposal fits in with the growth that we’ve got over the next 20, 25 years for our community.”
Members of the public voiced their concerns and questions over the proposition. Two speakers’ concerns were over the redevelopment of the roads and how the increased traffic will flow in the area. They voiced that the area was built in the 1960s for residential housing only, and the roads would need to widened, and entrances for the new development would need to be appropriately placed, as to not hinder the residents in the area.
One speaker suggested that the area “has only been successful” due it only being allowed to have single-unit residential homes.
Both speakers also asked how, or rather ‘who’ would be paying for the road widenings and development. The speakers concerns also asking about increased taxing on taxpayers.
A third speaker questioned whether the Council, City Staff, and WLFN considered leaving the site to be developed into an open space park.
To which Gary Muraca, Chief Administrative Officer of the City said, “the City never looked at the space as a park.” However, Muraca assured the speaker that WLFN normally considers how their builds can be incorporated to fit the community.
The same speaker was also concerned about whether the bylaw being passed thoroughly assessed the positive and negative impacts to residents and taxpayers in the area. This speaker suggested that from their own “investigations”, data shows that “at times” these types of developments raise housing insurance for residents, but decrease property values, while losing the City could also lose tax revenue based on the commercial businesses and developments that come in with the rezoning.
The last speakers had questions on the commercial development aspects of the build. One asked why commercial buildings needed to be included in the build, and whether or not the City could impose restrictions on the businesses’ hours of operation.
Jessica Ball, a Planning Analyst for the City, said the City “would not have the control” over the commercial properties’ times of operations, similar to how the Downtown Core operates.
“[They] would have to follow the ‘Good Neighbour Bylaw’, and any other bylaw under the municipality, but we can’t restrict the business hours of a commercial development.”
The last speaker, had concerns over what kind of businesses would be allowed to be part of the commercial development. Their concern, to a number of head nods of approval from audience members, was of cannabis stores being put into the development. Saying many members of the public have had concerns of the smell, use, and affects of cannabis public being used around stores and in the area.
Ball answered that cannabis is currently its own zoning use and zoning bylaw, but says “it is not listed under the types of commercial uses for this zoning development.”
She added that if the developers and proponent wanted to bring forward the idea of a cannabis store as part of their design, they would have to put a forward a motion for a rezoning amendment for the commercial use, which would incorporate a public hearing.
After the public’s questions, the councillors had their turns to speak.
“ I will be supporting this new particular zoning to get it and drive the investment into the community,” said Councillor Scott Nelson. “My hand goes up and I want to thank Williams Lake First Nations for bringing this forward and working with the community.”
Councillor Sheila Boehm also voted in favour for the rezoning amendment; as did Councillor Angie Delaney.
“We have all said it before: housing, housing, housing, it needs to happen,” Boehm said. “When you look at other countries and how they are conquering some of our social issues that we are all seeing every day on the streets, it’s through housing. So I will be supporting this.”
Councillor Delaney commented on how the WLFN “always has good and well thought out builds for the community,” assuring the members of the public that the final development will be nice.
“I’ve been really excited about this development since they’ve announced it,” said Councillor Jazmyn Lyons, calling in remotely, and voted for the amendement. “When I first ran for council, one thing I really pushed for was anytime we do see an apartment structure, anything going up, to see commercial space beneath it because it opens up possibility…WLFN is extremely smart in all of their builds. I absolutely believe that whatever they come up with for that is gonna be something that’s gonna be beneficial to the area.”
Lastly, Councillor Joan Flaspohler, who chaired this meeting due to Mayor Surinderpal Rathor’s absence, voted for the bylaw rezoning. She said that she is excited to see what gets presented as a concept and design for the development down the road, while also understanding the public’s concerns for the change in residential area.
“Small commercial pieces can be so beneficial to a community because you now may be able to just walk somewhere. You don’t have to get in your vehicle to go get a few small items, or to get your hair cut or as things that are mentioned this evening,” Flaspohler said. “I don’t think that we’ll be seeing a large commercial piece. Generally these smaller types of development, are with that focus, of as Councilor Bam highlighted, on housing and creating the spaces for everyone because it is such an important topic in every single community.”
Flaspohler also addressed the questions of taxation, saying that it will be “win-win” for the municipality, as these types of development are supplying key infrastructure.
“Building up is smart. If you’re putting more people in one space on one lot, that taxation is a larger dollar value compared to the amount of infrastructure, and when you’re supplying a one home lots, you’re only getting limited amounts of taxation funds.”
The Council voted the reading of the rezoning bylaw unanimously, with Councillor Michael Moses and Jazmyn Lyons voting in remotely.
Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
