19 Jun 2023 Council meeting Housing

Park Avenue Concept Plan - 933 Park Avenue (Draft - June 2023) - Land Use Options (Part 1)

Motion

That Council receive the Draft Park Avenue Concept Plan - 933 Park Avenue (Draft - June 2023) with the amendment to withdraw option one and direct Staff to proceed with a Phase Two public review and input process.

Minutes, page 10

Sources

Agenda itemCity agenda

Staff reportPage 1

Purpose

To present land use options for the Park Avenue Concept Plan - 933 Park Avenue (Draft - June 2023) for Council consideration, and to receive direction to proceed with Phase Two consultation.

Staff report, page 1

Staff recommendation

That Council receive the Draft Park Avenue Concept Plan - 933 Park Avenue (Draft - June 2023) and direct Staff to proceed with a Phase Two public review and input process.

Staff report, page 1

DocumentsStaff report about Housing, Land Use & Urban Form

Paul Manly Yes

Well, thank you worship. During the presentation, Yu said potential sites for affordable housing, , but I don't see that language in in the, um In the actual report, so Um, one of the options I think could be considered is is, , um Just keeping it as a park. And I just did a Google search for historic places. . Five acre farm Nanaimo. And I found are registered historic site. On Canada's historic places formally recognized in 2002. And listed on the Canadian registry in 2005. And that's um On Third Avenue. At the corner of Howard, where there's 50 houses. And 130 apartment buildings. Our apartment units, and so that is our Officially designated Heritage site. Ah, for the five acres Um Which has a lot of historic significance in this community. Um, the work that Samuel Robbins did to preserve Bowen Park to create what was the breadbasket of the Mid Island region. . So I know that there's going to be feedback about that when you bring this plant forward, because, um Has councillor Gasol. Barack has Has mentioned a lot of people. Mobilized. Towards protecting this last, uh, sample of this historic Process to create Western Canada's first planned agricultural community. Um In terms of some of the the The plants that just The dimensions of affordable housing. The dimensions run on number four. . I think are the most workable even if they went all the way to Park Avenue from Park Avenue to Boardwalk. . Because that's the least viable agricultural land of the Of the whole parcel, the other just the other way the other squares laid out. . Cover over some of the viable agricultural land that That was worked by the Ferguson family and the founding that owned it before that. . The market garden areas, so Um, those are my comments. I'm sure that there'll be lots of good feedback from the community when the plan goes forward, , Thank you.

Ian Thorpe No

Councilor Thorp Thank you Worship, speaking to the the proposed amendment. I don't think I can support it because although I do support the idea of how some housing on this piece of property, I think the intent of this exercise is to get Folsom public feedback, and as far as I'm concerned, putting all options on the table or the way to do that, I don't think it's up to us to limit The choices that the neighborhood of the citizens can respond to. And in fact, if some feel that there's another direction that we should go in, and they should be feel free to express that as an option as well, So I say, throw it wide open and include all of the options. . Thank you.

Leonard Krog No

In a sense, I don't think it's appropriate at this stage to limit the options on the basis of what has been the feedback to date. How much interest is attracted before how much interest it may attract in the future. . I think the public is entitled to Consider all the options and his councilor Thorp, Uh, syndicated. I'd love to see somebody with a place to say none of the above and they agree with Councilor Manly. The whole thing should be a park. . Although I'm not sure that the recognition of colonial history implied in his recommendation is an historic site may be entirely appropriate. But having said that, I don't think we should be limiting options. Uh, I appreciate the work of staff to date and bringing this forward, but this is not the time from the mid options.

Questions and answers

Councillor Sheryl Armstrong
No

asked

and Council broke two points to Councilor Manley's point. The issue with not building housing was We used money designated to build housing to purchase the land, so we would have to find some way to pay that back because we can't use those funds otherwise, and for me, that was a big one of the big reasons why I agreed to the purchase was So that we could get affordable housing or rent geared to income on those lands, especially for people that might want to work there. So I think for me, I would like to see some definitely some affordable housing. I'd actually prefer it to be geared rent to income or income to rent whatever that cured whatever. But my question is to staff based on the motion that was made by councilor diesel practice that have an impact on the plan by Eliminating not

City staff answered

Um the immediate impact would be there be less one less option. We would take out to the community. But if there's options that council believe or not supportable, I think now it's the appropriate time to take them off the table. . Thank you. .