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HAY RIVER - A petition has been presented to Hay River town council against a controversial proposed rezoning of a lot on Cameron Crescent.

The petition, organized by residents, was delivered to town hall on Aug. 8.

It contained 680 signatures, considerably more than the 584 required.

Under the Cities, Towns and Villages Act, such a petition must be signed by at least 25 per cent of eligible voters who have been resident in the municipality for at least 12 months.

The petition calls on town council to submit the proposed rezoning bylaw to voters for approval based on Section 81 of the act.

"It basically takes it out of the hands of council, and puts it in the hands of the people," said Ron Karp, a homeowner in the Cameron Crescent area and one of the petition's organizers.

Karp said organizers are now waiting on the town's senior administrative officer to declare if the petition is valid.

Mayor Jean-Marc Miltenberger said the petition is being scrutinized by the senior administrative officer to ensure the names meet the eligibility requirements of the act, noting the municipality has 30 days to do that.

If the petition is found to be valid, he said council will then decide how to proceed, either by holding a separate vote of residents on the matter or waiting for the next municipal election.

The owners of the lot applied to council to have the zoning changed from institutional to multi-family residential. The application passed second reading of town council on July 21 by a vote of 4-2. Most area residents fear rezoning the .23-hectare lot would lead to a residential multiplex in the single-family neighbourhood, which could create traffic problems, make the area unsafe for children and lower property values.