A portion of Old Airport Road between Byrne Road and Borden Drive could be rezoned to allow commercial development should council approve the idea. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo |
Old Airport Road residential divides city councillors
Opponents say focus first on downtown revitalization
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Friday, July 3, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A plan to allow residential and mixed use zoning along a portion of Old Airport Road between Byrne Road and Borden Drive will go to city council for consideration next month.
If passed, it would allow multi-family dwellings, multi-attached dwellings and mixed-use buildings in the area now zoned for commercial development. The existing zoning would remain.
Councillors were divided.
Couns. Bob Brooks, Adrian Bell and Cory Vanthuyne spoke against the idea at Monday's municipal services committee meeting saying the city needs to focus on improving downtown first.
"We do not have a healthy downtown core. The downtown has been deteriorating for the last 20 years and it's visible," said Brooks.
"I would like to see this idea put basically on hold for a couple years until we've seen the completion or the results of downtown revitalization."
Vanthuyne said the proposal is bad planning.
"I have seen (Old Airport Road) and continue to see (Old Airport Road) as a commercial thoroughfare and it is designed specifically for commercial opportunity and commercial growth," he said.
Where the city tried integrating residential and businesses, such as Kam Lake and Old Town, it's always ended up "a challenging endeavour," he said.
He said if the city had a significant need for multi-residential, he'd reconsider, but that's not the case right now.
Bell said that the idea is something that would be good in the future but is too damaging now.
He said whenever someone he knows visits the city, he tries to get their thoughts on the state of the city.
"Unanimously everyone thinks the city, downtown, is in a worse state than it was two or three years ago," Bell said. "As a result, while this is something I think we may need in the future, I think it would be too damaging right now to our own initiatives in the downtown core."
A city staff report on the proposal states the area is well suited for residential development because of proximity to municipal infrastructure, commercial and retail space, parks and trails, bus routes and recreation facilities.
The city's two main plans for future development - the Smart Growth Development Plan and General Plan - show Old Airport Road as an area transitioning to a mix of commercial and residential.
The General Plan projects 10 per cent, or 138 units, of all new dwellings in the city to be built along Old Airport Road. However, none have been constructed since the plan was adopted.
The city in 2013 considered allowing high density residential development in the area. Vanthuyne, as acting mayor, broke a tied vote to kill the proposal at the time.
Couns. Rebecca Alty was the only councillor at the meeting who said she'd support the motion.
"I think it's a great opportunity to have residential units close to all the amenities - jobs, grocery stores, schools and more," Alty said. By approving it, she said the city doesn't have to put a big investment into blasting new areas and constructing new infrastructure.
She acknowledged the concerns of other councillors regarding downtown.
"But for me, they're two different markets and we have some great residential development happening now in downtown," she said, referring to the 126 condo units expected to be built on Twin Pine Hill.
Coun. Niels Konge did not speak to the idea and Coun. Dan Wong did not attend the meeting.
Couns. Phil Moon Son and Linda Bussey, who had been at an earlier portion of the meeting but left before the Old Airport Road discussion, left word with the mayor they'd likely support the idea. Mayor Mark Heyck said that meant there was enough support to bring the proposal to the next council meeting.
The idea would have to pass first, second and third readings at council.
