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Northern
Years est. 1954
www.northernsentinel.com
Volume 60 No. 41
Town turns down Blueberry Estates Cameron Orr The affordable housing proposal for Blueberry Street, which sought to construct townhouses with built-in secondary suites to supplement homeowners’ incomes, hit the end of the road in its current form. Councillors voted to reject the zoning application which would have densified 4 Blueberry. The decision was unanimous. “I have reflected upon what everybody has written and I put myself in the boots of people living next door to what is being proposed and it’s just not fair,” said Mario Feldhoff, who moved to reject the application. “It’s one thing to rezone a neighbouring street...it’s another thing to rezone a lot on a street that people move to with an understanding of what the zoning would be.” Feldhoff had hoped the proponents would have looked at District of Kitimat owned land a short ways north from Blueberry and council initially had directed staff to work with them on fleshing out that idea the last time this proposal came to council. The District owns the lot at 461 Quatsino Boulevard, which is currently zoned G1 - Institutional. It was purchased July 14, 2012, for $119,000. Rob Goffinet said that if it was apparently clear that such housing was needed they would look at it again but as it is the town has no immediate need. “There appears at this moment there’s no objective need for the large, rapid numbers of developed units in Kitimat,” he said. Edwin Empinado was thankful to the Rigonis for trying to address affordable housing but the addition of 14 units on that lot is “not consistent” to the surrounding area. He still encourages the proponents to speak to the District about the potential of other areas. The plan as proposed would have seen the construction of 14 townhouses, all built with an attached secondary suite. To make the development affordable to buyers, one block of townhouses would be sold for a 20 per cent discount, will the additions of the secondary suites would provide secondary income to the home owner. The Kitimat Housing Committee’s report to council noted concerns such as the level of affordability, and the long term feasibility of using rental income to subsidize mortgages, as well as the appropriateness of the site for this purpose. An actual draft bylaw was not prepared, which would have triggered a public comment period, but still the town did received six letters and one petition against the proposal, the petition was signed by 49 people.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
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1.30 INCLUDES TAX
Five teams competed to see who could best the other in a Fire Truck Pull, a United Way fundraiser which this year doubled as the unveiling of Kitimat’s new fire truck. Read more about the event and the fire truck on page 8. Cameron Orr
Pressure still on against density Cameron Orr Kitimat resident Bill Kearley attended the September 29 Committee of the Whole meeting to present an additional five pages of a petition against the Blueberry Estates proposal. (See the story to left for how that proposal turned out.) Kearley did, however, stick around to express his ongoing concern with highdensity development proposals for the community. “There will be some people coming to town, new, who want to buy a new unit,” he said, but added, “A little
He points to bit of pressure “This does the nearly 100 should be put on homes listed on new people comnot fit a for Kitiing in to town. low income MLS mat at the moIt’s healthy for family.” ment as further everybody if the proof the town housing has slight doesn’t need demand.” He said allowing a flood new residential construction. Kearley also weighed in of new accommodations is not healthy and hurts the com- on what should be considered affordable, speaking primarmunity and home prices. Even without new devel- ily to the Blueberry Street opments he believes Kitimat proposal. “We’ve been told that can support a population approaching 16,000, inclusive low income could be as high of already approved devel- as 90,000 dollars [a year salopments such as Strawberry ary],” he said. “That was a stretch. But what I’m trying Meadows.
to get at is a low income in the neigbourhood of $35$40,000, putting 25 per cent down or 20 per cent down on any of these units would require a payment of $1,200 a month.” That $1,200 wouldn’t include likely strata fees as well, which at the high end could be $500 a month, he said. “This does not fit a low income family or an individual,” he said. “The argument for low income to occupy these places is pretty much non-existent,” he said.
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Kildala pushing for votes for playground ... page 5