Park rezoning opposed by residents, but third reading approved by council

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

In February and March, town council gave first and second readings to approve the redesignation of Ernest Meyer Memorial Park from institutional recreational to a residential multiple dwelling district. The plan is to shrink the green space down from 2.14 acres to make way for a future housing development on the south end of the park. The building and schoolyard at L.T. Westlake Elementary is sprawled across more than half of the 2.14 acres and the rest is open park space.

 When council met again on April 14, the agenda contained letters from local residents Scott and Lisa Gillespie, Bjorn Sorensen, Shelley Nachay, Ivan Dyck, Elizabeth Goertzen, Darrell and Tricia Christensen, Elizabeth Dyck, Michael Shepherd, Jon Messervey, and Mark Hein. All were letters of opposition to the proposed change. On the whole, the nearby residents strongly disagreed with the idea.

 The Gillespies outlined a number of considerations for council. They cited traffic and parking impacts, fit with existing character of the neighbourhood, impacts on green space and recreation, and the servicing and infrastructure capacity of the area.

 However, council saw the opportunity to fill a housing need and make $175,000 off of the land sale, money which would then be designated back into recreation.

 Coun. Sorensen began by saying that while she appreciated the value of green space, the housing shortage in town moved her to support the proposal. At a Feb. 18 regular meeting, the municipal planning commission also recommended approval for the development.

 “Anyone can actually use this type of housing,” Sorensen said. “It fills the need to house single young professionals, young families, newcomers to the community who can’t find permanent housing, and persons who simply do not want to own a house. Also to seniors who maybe don’t want to maintain a house. I think this fills a need and I do support this housing initiative.”

 As he has done in past instances, Mayor Prokop showed his willingness to defer to the voice of the citizens. He sided with those who wrote objection letters.

 “To take that away is very difficult to support, as was said by our residents in that area,” he said, referring to the residents’ appreciation of the park. “To me, back to the Meadows is the perfect location for that type of a project. I really can’t support this completely. I understand there’s a need for housing, but you also have to seriously take into consideration how this affects and impacts our residents in that area.”

 Coun. Remfert said, “As a landlord myself, I put a place up for rent today and turned down 15 people. Rent in town is getting so bad.” He said that the term ‘affordable housing,’ as applied to the project, need not infer a class distinction for future renters.

 “It just makes it affordable, it doesn’t mean it’s a lower class,” he said. He moved to approve the third reading of the designation proposal. Council voted 5-1 in favour of it, with the mayor being the lone dissenting vote.