Sylvan Lake residents are concerned a new proposal for row housing near C.P. Blakely Elementary School could make traffic and parking even more of an issue in the area.
Residents also expressed concerns that they will eventually be pushed out of the affordable housing at their mobile home park nearby for development of townhouses that aren’t in their price range.
Sylvan Lake town council tabled a proposal this week to rezone the lot at 4305 49th Ave. in Sylvan Lake from R-4 manufactured or mobile home to R-3 high density residential, which could include town houses, row houses or apartments. The rezoning proposal will be re-examined during another council meeting after town administration can look at ensuring that apartments won’t go up on the site. Under the R-3 designation, townhouses, rowhouses or apartments would all be allowable.
The lot had initially been the site of a 22-unit mobile home park, but Dualta Investments Ltd. would like to put in 50 two-storey rowhouse units and two bi-level units on the site. Asset Builders is Corp. is working on the project on behalf of Dualta Investments Ltd.
Garth Dushanek, with Asset Builders, said the underground servicing at the trailer park was dilapidated and would have had to be redone, which wouldn’t have made it as affordable as it had been.
He said the decision by the company was to instead put three-bedroom townhouses on the site, which would be in the low $200,000 range. There was some concern expressed by residents in the area and council that apartments might go up on the site, but Dushanek said there is no plan to put apartments there.
Angela Dupuis has lived at the Spruce Line Park across the street from the proposed development for seven years. One of her daughters goes to C.P. Blakely and eventually her two younger girls will attend there.
“There is a lot of traffic around the school already and more people means more traffic,” Depuis said. She is concerned that having twice as many units on the site will make the area even less safe for children walking to school.
Tammy Daugherty has lived at the Spruce Line Park across the street for four years and is worried about pedestrian safety and she is also concerned about the already congested streets that are filled with vehicles parked along the street.
Both women also fear that the property changing from a mobile home park to townhouses could mean the mobile home park where they live nearby could also eventually become townhouses.
Dupuis said a low $200,000 mortgage isn’t an option for a lot of people. She said she pays around $600 a month now, with her mortgage and lot rent, but a $200,000 mortgage wouldn’t be possible.
Daugherty fears that in the future town council may decide the mobile home park isn’t compatible with rowhousing and that down the road residents could be pushed out of their mobile homes.
The Town of Sylvan Lake council would have to approve second and third reading of the bylaw to rezone the area before the development could move forward.
sobrien@www.reddeeradvocate.com