On July 17 Parksville city council passed an amendment to limit the number of proposed townhouses on 400-block of Hirst Avenue to 20 units.
This seems to have been an effort to placate both the owners who are simply speculators and the many homeowners in the area who are against it. No mention was made of the overwhelming opposition to this development expressed both by letters and spoken objections at the public hearing.
This is the third rezoning application by Macdonald Gray, who submitted the proposal on behalf of their client, to build on this site; the first two being denied by the city due to public outcry.
Doesn’t city council get it this time? Despite the charming drawings for the buildings, (which may be changed at will later), we do not want increased density of ANY kind, along with all its problems, (loss of enjoyment of our properties due to construction, noise and disruption, increased traffic on already stressed Hirst and safety concerns for pedestrians and children on impacted adjacent streets).
How can this possibly benefit our area? Going from three houses to 20 does not make sense in our single-family neighborhood. Certainly people need housing but there are other undeveloped areas closer to the city centre far more suitable for this type of development.
Will Parksville city councillors support us again or ignore it’s taxpaying homeowners/citizens in favour of a quick cash grab? Just wait and see.
Mary Nielsen
Parksville
