Red Deer city council approves rezoning for Creekside Mobile Home Park

Currently, there are 74 mobile home sites and rezoning would kickstart the potential of 250 to 300 residential units.

“I think in each of our minds we have some conflicting issues and that’s one of the challenges we face as councillors,” he said in his closing statement. “It’s a strategic location for redevelopment and I’ve heard very much from the individuals that are living in the area and our hearts go out to that. But I will say just given some of the challenges we’re facing with housing, that I will support the rezoning of this with mixed emotions and mixed feelings.”

Meantime, Barnstable said he had a hard time keeping emotion out of his decision because of the seriousness of the situation.

Particularly, how some residents are worried about what will happen to their housing. In April, residents of the park received a letter warning them of a potential housing development.

“I know we’re supposed to look at just the zoning itself and our job is to see is this a fit with the land,” Barnstable said. “But I’m struggling with the fact if we were to approve this zoning today, and we’re saying we want to increase housing, we’re effectively taking individuals that we heard last night that said they’re on AISH, and putting them in a possibility where they’d have that uncertainty of what their homes could be. I do really wrestle and struggle with that.”

He added more communication needs to be had with the residents of the park by ownership, which is why he’s opposed.

Guy Pelletier, who represents landowner Tim Pasutto, said at the public hearing that approving the rezoning is the first step of a process that will evolve over time and potentially intensify the use of the property.

“This evening is really about a zoning application request to modify the zoning on a site from its current R-MH to R-H, and there are no plans beyond that to further develop the site,” he said.

He explained the property has a density of around seven units an acre and the new zoning has a much broader variety of land uses including townhomes, apartments, supportive living, temporary care facilities, plus discretionary uses related to some potential commercial use on main floors.

Pelletier added the existing development which surrounds the site is predominantly medium density and high density so the request is to really align the zoning of the 11-acre parcel.

He added there are perks which drive the demand for housing in the area including the hospital expansion and its proximity to Red Deer Polytechnic.

“As was noted in administration’s report, the landlord tenant issues are between the landlord and the tenants, but rest assured that those issues are very important to the owners of this property,” Pelletier said during the public hearing. “That’s why there really is no formal timeframe. There is a lot of sensitivity around those folks that are tenants who have been there. In essence, they’re customers for many years. This is not a quick process, but one that will show a lot of respect for folks that live there.”

Brenda Whiten, a resident of Creekside Mobile Home Park, said during the hearing that out of the 75 mobile homes on the property, almost half of them would not be suitable to relocate.

“The majority of the residents are concerned with what this is going to entail for our future. Are we going to be like Midfield Mobile Home Park in Calgary where you give them one year to vacate? Those are the key questions because this is our living situation,” she said. “The other parks in Red Deer can’t handle that number of units.”

David Bonnell, also a resident there, also spoke at the public hearing and expressed concerns on what this means for the residents.

He explained he’s on AISH and couldn’t afford to move his home.

“If this rezoning goes through, I cannot renovate my trailer. I just got out from underneath the thumb of greedy corporate landlords. You expect us to go back? Sorry, but no. It’s not happening,” he said.

“I believe there’s not enough space to actually put a large scale apartment building or unit. Small scale, yes, like a handful of duplexes or a small row of townhomes. Regardless of what administration thinks those roads are too small to handle more traffic.”

by Ian Gustafson

Red Deer city council approves rezoning for Creekside Mobile Home Park

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