17 Jun 2024 Council meeting Housing

Rezoning Application No. RA495 and Highway Closure Application No. LD4291 - 266, 268 Bryden Street, 251, 255 Mt Benson Street, and 250 Terminal Avenue North (Part One)

Motion
That “Zoning Amendment Bylaw 2024 No. 4500.226” (to rezone 266, 268 Bryden Street, 251, 255 Mt Benson Street, and 250 Terminal Avenue North from Single Dwelling Residential [R1], Medium Density Residential [R8], Mixed Use Corridor [COR2], and Community Corridor [COR3] to Comprehensive Development District Zone Fourteen [CD14]) pass first reading, second reading as amended, and third reading. That Council direct Staff to secure the conditions related to “Zoning Amendment Bylaw 2024 No. 4500.226”, as outlined in the “Conditions of Rezoning” section of the Staff Report titled "Rezoning Application No. RA495 and Highway Closure Application No. LD4291 - 266, 268 Bryden Street, 251, 255 Mt Benson Street, and 250 Terminal Avenue North", dated 2024-JUN-17, prior to final adoption.
Sources
Agenda itemCity agenda
Staff reportPage 2
Purpose
To present for Council’s consideration an application to rezone 266, 268 Bryden Street, 251, 255 Mt Benson Street, and 250 Terminal Avenue North from Single Dwelling Residential (R1), Medium Density Residential (R8), Mixed Use Corridor (COR2), and Community Corridor (COR3) to Comprehensive Development District Zone Fourteen (CD14), to facilitate a personal care facility and affordable housing development; …
Staff report, page 2
Staff recommendation
Rezoning That: 1. “Zoning Amendment Bylaw 2024 No. 4500.226” (to rezone 266, 268 Bryden Street, 251, 255 Mt Benson Street, and 250 Terminal Avenue North from Single Dwelling Residential [R1], Medium Density Residential [R8], Mixed Use Corridor [COR2], and Community Corridor [COR3] to Comprehensive Development District Zone Fourteen [CD14]) pass first reading; 2. “Zoning Amendment Bylaw 2024 No. 4500.226” pass second reading; 3. “Zoning Amendment Bylaw 2024 No. 4500.226” pass third reading; and, 4. Council direct Staff to secure the conditions related to “Zoning Amendment Bylaw 2024 No. …
Staff report, page 2
DocumentsStaff report about Housing, Land Use & Urban Form, Transportation & Mobility (Conditions of Rezoning)

Questions and answers

Councillor Sheryl Armstrong
Speaker identificationConfident
Yes

asked
Much with some of the residents that are there, but it's more of the other people that come to visit
A guest answered
or the dealers? Yeah. Typically. All of the advocacy work that we've done over the last year and a half time. And time again, it is the attractant forces of organized crime. It's the illicit drug trade, the human trafficking, the violence. The assaults, the threatening behavior. Behaviors. That they do go unprovoked. I was literally walking up the street this morning on my phone talking to a friend, and I glanced across the street and somebody. Up across the street on the concrete altar across from on the steps of a derelict property. Thought I was looking at them. And started yelling at me. Swearing at me, raising his finger at me. These are the sorts of things that happen every day. And these things. Like, I'll say it. Every week right now. My youngest says he doesn't feel safe in her neighborhood and he wants to leave Nanaimo. This is the kinds of things that we are dealing with all the time. And. It's reasonable. For the people of Newcastle when they are presented with. This permitted use that just slips under the radar. And we can say, oh, well, we don't know what their plan is. Well, there's nothing to trust. We have no reason to trust that they aren't going to put something there that would bring these impacts. Right. The new catholic community. Has been. Very understanding, very compassionate, very patient, frankly. With the process. With trying to hold out trust and hope. And every single time. It seems they've just been let down. This is why you get this kind of response tonight, is because people just. People are always on edge. In this city right now. Who are living here and feeling like. They are just living. Inside. An open air prison yard. And it's horrifying. And you don't want to feel that way. And people either want to leave or. They dig in and try to do what we're doing and advocate. For peace and safety in public. Thank you. Thank you.
A guest answered
Your worship, counselors. My name is Peter Giganto, and I also live in the Newcastle neighborhood. And I'm a member of the neighborhood association. I'm going to limit my comments to the permitted uses in the bylaw and in particular one of those permitted uses. The permitted uses are set out at the top of page four of the bylaw. Might be beneficial to take a look at that. Our association has. No problem at all with the land at 250 terminal being rezoned to allow for the construction of supportive and affordable housing. In fact, as you know, we were very disappointed by the announcement that the construction of the permanent support of housing has been delayed for three years. The concern that we have with the draft bylaw is that in addition to designating area one multifamily and area two personal care facility. The bylaw then goes on to designate both areas, one and two. Social service resource center. This is a new permitted use that came into effect in March of this year and. It's very broadly worded. The definition reads as follows. Social services resource center means. An enclosed building used. To one, provide information, referral, counseling, and advocacy services or two, dispense aid in the nature of food or clothing or. Three provide drop in or. Activity space. We don't have any problem with any of those services being provided to the residents of the support of housing. Our concern is that the wording of the definition is broad enough that it would enable the owner operator of the facility, is to offer any or all of those services to nonresidents. In fact, some of the services referred to in the definition are ones that would be designed specifically for nonresidents, a. Case in point is the provision of drop in space. If you live at a place you don't. Drop in there, allowing these properties to be zoned. Social services Resource center could lead to all sorts of unexpected outcomes. The owner operator could, for example, use the kitchen facilities to prepare and distribute. Meals to nonresidents. The owner operator could set up a drop in or warming center or provide counseling and referral services to nonresidents who have mental health or addiction. Problems. The owner operator could potentially even set up showering or laundry facilities for non residents. Designating. The property's social services resource. Is not necessary for the operations BC housing intends to carry on at the property. In fact, BC housing has made it clear that it has no intention of allowing walk in services at the support of housing facility. In a letter dated February 16 to our association, BC housing, said the following with respect to its plans for the. Use of the ground floor. Under the new plans, the lower floor will have the entrance and amenity room for residents and administration offices. Access to these spaces will be for residents and staff only. There will be no walk in facilities for nonresidents. VC Housing repeated this assurance that the open house that took place in the Naimo on March 11, we, quite frankly, quite can't understand why the social services resource use is included in the bylaw when it's not needed by. BC housing and it hasn't been asked by them. We want to ensure that walk in services are not provided in either of these facilities. In order to ensure that this does not happen, we are requesting that section. 1614, two three of the proposed bylaw either be deleted or in the alternative, be amended. To read as follows. Daycare office and. Social services Resource center shall be permitted as accessory uses within the CD 14 zone, and these would be the additional words that we're asking be added, provided that the provision of social services is limited to the residents of the personal care facility in area two. We have experienced a lot. Of dysfunction in our neighborhood over the course of the last five and a half years. We are hoping that the construction of a permanent and well run facility at 250 terminal will restore a degree of stability to the neighborhood. Allowing walk in services will not do that. It will make matters a lot worse. Thank you. Thank you very