By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: October 07, 2008
Plans for attainable housing on public land in Vernon is going before residents for input Thursday. The city-owned Hesperia Development Corporation will hold an open house from 5 to 8 p.m. at Paddlewheel Park Hall. “We want to get some feedback from the public on the concept for the property,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham, who also sits on the corporation board. The corporation is proposing a mix of residential and commercial uses on the 69-acre Hesperia lands on Apollo Road. It could include 1,000 units of market and attainable housing. The corporation hopes to provide a range of housing options for middle-income homebuyers. Some residents have questioned if the city will develop the property itself, but Cunningham denies that’s the case. “The goal is to bring services to the property line and then go out to request for proposals for developers that can address sustainable concepts and different types of housing,” she said, adding that similar corporations exist in other communities such as Lethbridge, Alta.
There have also been concerns from residents within the immediate neighbourhood that the development could negatively impact them and encourage sprawl in Vernon. “They don’t want to see a change at all but I’m not sure how realistic that is. We need to address sustainable housing,” said Cunningham, who believes the high cost of real estate is forcing people from town and hurting the economy. The corporation’s website indicates that development of the Hesperia lands would capitalize on its proximity to Marshall Fields, Paddlewheel Park, Kin Beach, the airport, schools and commercial areas. There is no timeline for the Hesperia lands to be developed. “We may have to respond to the market so it may not happen for some time,” said Cunningham.
The city purchased the Hesperia lands in 1981 for spray irrigation. However, it was deemed that part of the property along Okanagan Avenue was not suitable for spray irrigation and it was deemed surplus in the late 1980s or early 1990s.
3 comments:
Wow, amazingly bad timing for this project right now. Wait 6 months and there will be more attainable housing available than this City Council knows what to do with.
In the present economy, the City should take a long hard look at whether it needs to finance this project. Those tax dollars may be better tucked away for a rainy day. Like tomorrow.
No need to wait, already the house prices are falling and you can't tell me that a $339,000 house on East Hill is any less attainable than a potential Hesperia home - plus think of all the gas you'd save not living in Sprawlville!
Too many questions: why will the City sell the land to developers instead of keeping the land publicly owned? what is the real (post-collapse) market value of the land? why are realtors and developers on the Corporation??
Time to shelve this 'attainable housing project' just as the time was not right to put in debt our City for an unnecessary 'civic centre'.
Time to tighten the belt and hold our assets close.
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