Council approves development

By Roger Knox - Vernon Morning Star - May 14, 2008

Vernon council has now given its blessing to a proposed housing development in South Vernon.

In a vote of 5-1, council approved the Vernon Native Housing Project after developers came back with some revisions that answered concerns from council and nearby residents.

Council requested a number of revisions be made before giving their approval to the project, which will be located in the 4300 block of 19th Avenue.

“They have worked to address some of the concerns brought forward from some of the residents down there,” said Mayor Wayne Lippert.

“There are some other changes that may be requested that they make, but there’s room for that as the development goes along.”

The most controversial aspect of the planned 40-unit affordable housing complex was using a large portion of an existing park for housing.

The revision addresses that need, and allows for more greenspace for all users.

Residents expressed concerns about safety, saying the complex, located next to the sewer treatment plant, could compound existing problems with criminal activity.

Terry Pakenham, the manager for Vernon’s Safe Communities Unit, says safety concerns have been addressed with the new plan.

The lone dissenting vote came from Coun. Pat Cochrane, unhappy that the project’s main building, housing more than 20 units, will not have direct access to parking and driveways from 19th Avenue.

“The access goes out to 45th Street, so the people that live in the main building will drive along 45th Street, up 18th Avenue, go back along 44th Street, go along 19th then out to 43rd Street,” said Cochrane.

“It’s an extra three-block trip. I think they could have easily revamped the access so the parking for that building is accessed directly from 19th Avenue.

“I just don’t understand the logic of having 20 or 30 vehicles making that extra trip around three blocks of a residential area...It’s a little thing, but it adds up over time.”

The society has been working on the project for close to a year.

Environmental upgrades and rising construction costs have added $1.5 million to the total cost of the housing development.

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Council approves development

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