Land rezoning choice at Centre Stage tonight with 11th Avenue East Public Hearing set for 6PM at the Lester Centre

The Lester Centre is the host for tonight's Public Hearing and
Prince Rupert City Council session, with a proposed land
rezoning issue perhaps the centre stage item for the night

Tonight could make for one of the pivotal moments of their term of office for this current collection of Prince Rupert City Council members, as the topic of a proposed rezoning of land on 11th Avenue East for use as an apartment building makes its way to a Public Hearing starting at 6 PM. 

Such could be the interest in the process tonight, that City Council acted on a suggestion from Councillor Nick Adey in July to move the hearing from City Hall to the larger venue of the Lester Centre, that in anticipation that topic could be one that generates much interest among city residents.

The focus for the night will be a decision towards moving the process forward on a Zoning Amendment as to whether to rezone land currently listed as residential to be shifted towards use of a multi unit complex led by the Lax Kw'alaams WAAP Housing Society to host 70 affordable living units, ten of them dedicated towards the use of Elders/Seniors.

The process towards tonight's Public Hearing began at the 2030 Prince Rupert Vision celebration of December 2019, when the Mayor noted of plans by Lax Kw'alaams towards development of much needed rental accommodation in the community, though at the time no site location had been announced.

The issue has since become framed by the current shortage of rental housing with advocates for the Lax Kw'alaams plans calling for the project to go ahead on 11th Avenue East, while others, mostly in the immediate area have suggested it is in the wrong place and the current zoning should remain as is.

Tonight's Public Hearing on the 11th Avenue location in effect is also an opportunity for City Council to outline how they will fill that need for more rental housing, while also having to consider the concerns of those that live in the area and have built their homes with the current residential zoning in place.

Such has been the conversation so far, that duelling petitions and much in the way of Social media discussion has overtaken at times the process the city has put in place for consideration of the issue.

The date of the Public Hearing was announced earlier this month and at that time we offered up a review of the progress of the land rezoning question to that point.

After a lengthy preamble of over a year and a half to reach tonight's  Public Hearing, the public will finally have a chance to weigh in officially, as part of the hearing process; with the Council membership on hand at the Lester Centre to receive all of those that may have an opinion to share.

Following the Public Hearing and as part of the Regular Council Session, the City Council members will have the topic return to the Agenda for this evening's session, with a decision to make as to the fate of the rezoning request.

With the Public Hearing coming in the waning days of summer, there is a chance that some that may have wished to contribute won't be in town for the event. 

If you can't attend this evening's Public Hearing, you can still have your comments on the record, the city's corporate administrator Rosa Miller is accepting comments towards the topic, you have until Noon today to share your thoughts at rosamaria.miller@pricnerupert.ca or you can call her at 250-627-0999

More notes on tonight's City Council Session and Public hearing can be reviewed here.