A property developer in Lethbridge has applied for a bylaw amendment in order to rewrite the Hardieville/Legacy Ridge/Uplands Area Structure Plan. They intend to rezone some undeveloped commercial property to direct control in order to build multi-family housing. This would allow them to avoid the hassle of dealing with public outcry twice (first by rezoning to multi-family, then once it’s rejected, rezoning to direct control).
I oppose this move, and here is the response I sent to the mayor.
Your Worship Mayor Tarleck,
I am responding to the public notices regarding bylaws 5462 and 5463.
While I do support the intent to build additional higher density structures in Lethbridge (particularly outside of the downtown core), I am strongly opposed to developing them at the expense of commercial development.
While campaigning in the Hardieville area during the 2001 municipal election, one of the most common issues brought to my attention was the lack of convenient commercial and retail spaces to the far north. Granted, since then Uplands Common has been developed and the new centre anchored by Wal-Mart is under construction. Nevertheless, the solution for addressing a lack of commercial/retail space is not removing lands zoned for commercial use.
If Classic Communities Ltd. needs space for multi-family housing, perhaps a better alternative would be replacing some of the sprawling single-family housing.
Sincerely,
Mr. Kim Siever
