By ROY WOOD
The Meadows Drive modular home development took another step toward approval on Monday as council gave third reading to zoning and community plan changes to allow it.
The 50-lot proposed neighborhood between Meadows Drive and the Okanagan River channel has been on the agenda repeatedly as council struggles with its complexities.
The land has sat vacant for 25 years as no developer could be found for the multi-family community envisioned when it was removed from the Agricultural Land Reserve.
The changes approved Monday will allow the new developer to build 50 single-family modular homes on the property.
At a public hearing in July, concerns were raised about the possibility of a “trailer park” emerging on the site. So, council told staff to develop a plan to ensure the developer adheres to a list of “form and structure” criteria.
The planning department created a list of requirements, specifying roof pitch, minimum number of exterior walls, exterior cladding, concrete foundations and driveway and walkway surfacing. Staff recommended that a statutory covenant regarding form and structure be registered to the title of the land parcels.
At a new public hearing on Monday, developer representative Brad Elenko argued that the staff recommendation was too onerous.
Despite his pleas, council voted to have the covenant registered against the titles of all the properties in the development before the amendment bylaw is finally adopted by council.
Planner Chris Garrish said that this will mean that whenever a building permit comes forward for any of the properties the “form and structure” requirements will be enforced.
The developer representative has maintained throughout that the project will provide “affordable family housing.”
Area resident and proposal opponent Tom Szalay expressed the fear that the development could become another senior citizens’ community. He asked council to disallow the developer from instituting age restrictions.
Councillor Mo Doerr concurred that age restrictions would be inappropriate. Councillor Jack Bennest agreed: “Age restrictions are like saying ‘Only white people can live there.’ It’s just not right.”
Mayor Ron Hovanes told council there are 50 new students in the town’s two elementary schools. He pointed out that the new provincial jail is beginning to ramp up its hiring, including more than 100 “new hires.”
He said with the current and projected growth of the town there is a need for new, affordable family housing.
Councillor Larry Schwartzenberger said the fact that the land has sat empty for 25 years indicates it probably was not correctly zoned in the first place. “There’s an opportunity here to get a development,” and the benefits outweigh the negatives, he said.
Council voted unanimously to change the zoning and adjust the Official Community Plan to allow the single-family development.