The City of Cranbrook is going ahead with a multi-unit rental housing project on a section of parkland near St. Mary’s Elementary School despite some pushback from residents in the neighbourhood.
On Monday, February 23, Council met to discuss a zoning amendment to change Lots 218 and 219 on 5th Street South from “Parks and Recreation” to “Medium Density Residential” for the purpose of building roughly 12 to 14 units of seniors’ housing in the area spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Cranbrook.
The decision was initially met with concerns from nearby residents regarding the use of parkland and increased traffic in the area.
“I didn’t buy my house there to be surrounded by large multi-density housing,” said Brenna Hong, who lives adjacent to the proposed development.
“I am all in favour of seniors housing, just as much as anybody else, and we do need more housing in Cranbrook, but we need to stop using the green space. There’s other areas that I hope the City of Cranbrook will look at and leave the land there as is.”
(Photo: City of Cranbrook)
However, the City maintained its need for seniors and low-income housing as per its latest housing needs assessment.
“We don’t own a lot of property, […] but at this point, this piece of land is available. It’s not being used. We aren’t going to make it into a formalized park. That’s not part of the City’s plans, and I think it can accommodate this use,” Councillor Norma Blissett said.
She added that the City can look at adjusting traffic flow through additional signage and preserving the remaining green space around the development to address concerns.
Council also discussed designating another nearby parcel from medium-density use to parkland to protect that section of Joseph Creek.
Both amendments were unanimously approved by Council at Monday’s meeting.
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