City council gave initial approval to a proposed mobile home park on Twinberry Drive in the Hart on Monday night.
City council approved the first two readings of a rezoning bylaw requested by Westcan Property Ltd. to rezone 11 hectares (27 acres) of the 52.4 ha. property at 9153 Twinberry Dr. to facilitate a mobile home park. Under the proposed zoning, a maximum of 220 mobile homes would be allowed on the 11 ha. area.
Final reading of the rezoning bylaw will come back to city council for consideration, once a traffic study and servicing brief have been provided to city administration.
“I get there is pushback because of negative perceptions around mobile home parks, (but) I think there is reason for this to go forward for consideration,” Coun. Cori Ramsay said.
City council received 16 letters from residents of the area opposed to the development, one expressing concerns and one letter in support, city director of planning and development Deanna Wasnik said. City administration supported the application, which is consistent with the city’s Official Community Plan, she added.
“As we talk about the needs for affordable housing… there are many working professionals and working individuals in our community where that is their way into the housing market," Coun. Tim Bennett said. "There is a perception of what a trailer park… would mean, and I don’t necessarily think that is a fair assessment of what it would become.”
However, Bennett, Mayor Simon Yu and councillors Trudy Klassen and Brian Skakun opposed the rezoning. Yu said Westcan Property Ltd. operates another mobile home park in the area, and there are other, more suitable, locations for the proposed development.
“Based on my knowledge of the neighbourhood, the trailer park… is kind of out of the character of the neighbourhood,” Yu said. “To put a trailer park so close to a relatively high-end neighbourhood, I have a problem with that.”
