Friday, May 27, 2011

Outcome from Retirement Concepts Public Meeting (Rezoning Application)

Yesterday, from 4-6pm at WL Seniors' Village in the "Media Room" with 8 people present including representatives from Retirement Concepts, former MLA Charlie Wyse, WL & Area Seniors' Advisory Council Chair Audrey MacLise, City of WL General Manager of Planning and Ops Geoff Goodall and local media came together to discuss Retirement Concepts prooposal to rezone their property, which currents has a CD-14 (Comprehensive Development 14) Zone but doesn't allow to have "apartment" housing.  Numerous questions were asked including:

1) Any other jurisdictions where mixed use (senior + young/adult) is permitted at a predominately seniors' facility?

2) Chance to restrict the empty 50 units to strictly seniors' uses (indepedent, etc)?

3) Reduce rent charged ($1100 charged at this facility)?

A good conversation overall but I believe if the meeting had been held from 7-9pm in WL Council Chambers, a better  public turnout could have been had (pls note - it was a Staff Recommendation that WL Council adopted that set this meeting in motion).  Also - City Council should require, in this case, wide public notification via newspaper ad and mail out to all residents', given Retirement Concepts is current the only major seniors' care home in Williams Lake and any zoning change needs to be thoughtfully and carefully considered
The next step now is that the City's Advisory Planning Commission will review this proposal and provide a Recommendation for 2nd Reading to WL Council to which Council will make a decision at their June 7th meeting with a Public Hearing on this application by July 7th or a little after that

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