The fate of the vacant land currently used as an overflow parking lot in Harrison will be decided later.
That was the decision of Harrison council Monday night (March 15), when they voted to have any changes to the lot on Miami River Drive and Hot Springs Road discussed as part of the Official Community Plan (OCP) revision.
“I think an updated and revised OCP will become a living document and it will provide guidance to this council and future council as our community continues to grow,” Coun. Michie Vidal said.
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Harrison Hot Spring’s current OCP is set to be revised this year, and a schedule for public engagement on the revision will be brought forward in April. Because of this, staff recommended that any decisions on the vacant land be discussed during the OCP consultation process, rather than on its own.
Council had already given first and second reading to amendments to the OCP and Zoning bylaw that would change the use for the vacant lot to commercial-residential. The fourteen undeveloped lots are currently zoned P-1 for park use, and are typically used as overflow parking in the summer months.
After the first and second readings, instead of holding a public hearing, council opted to conduct a “placemaking exercise” in the form of an online survey on the village’s Get Into It Harrison website.
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That survey was available on the website for four weeks, but only saw 78 respondents. Most of these wanted at least part of the land to remain as park space, and just under half wrote in that they wanted the land to remain as overflow parking even though this wasn’t an option on the survey.
Community services coordinator Rhonda Schell noted in a staff report to council that the best use of the lands may end up being mixed-use, with some space for park land alongside public, residential and/or commercial developments.
Schell noted that, although residents had largely voted against using the land for housing, Harrison’s housing needs assessment from 2019 indicated that there needed to be more options for affordable housing for seasonal workers and seniors. The village’s Economic Recovery Task Force also identified affordable housing for employees as a major challenge in the community.
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Although council unanimously agreed to wait until the entire OCP was under scrutiny to decide on the future of the lot, many still shared their opinions on whether staff’s suggestion of mixed use was appropriate.
“It’s obvious the majority of people want it to be as it is,” Coun. Ray Hooper said about the overflow parking lot.
Coun. Gerry Palmer spoke positively about the possibility of a park going on at least part of the land, something that most of the survey respondents supported. He added that there was a lack of covered outdoor spaces, particularly highlighted by the pandemic, and this land could become a good space to include more of those.
“But,” he added, “I’m fine with waiting for the OCP for that.”
Mayor Leo Facio reminded council of the history of the land, which he said was purchased for a civic building.
“Things change, and from the OCP we’ll get an indication from the public,” he said.
However, Facio also seemed to indicate that continuing to use the land as overflow parking was not something he supported.
“We have to look to the future of our residents against cars being parked,” he said.
Hooper argued against that idea, and questioned that the “best use” of the lot would be a mixture of residential, commercial and public space, saying that staff were “mixing two surveys together” when thinking about the future of the lot.
“It’s as if we’re trying to corral the residents into mixed use is the best,” Hooper said.
Residents listening in on Monday’s council meeting used question period to share some of their comments on the lot as well.
Harrison resident John Allen asked about the input of the advisory planning commission, and agreed with Facio that the land was originally purchased for a civic building, although he specified it should be for a .
Harrison resident Deanna Boudreau said that the land should remain as overflow parking because of the ongoing issue of tourists parking on residential streets. She also said that Harrison “is not right for low-income housing.”
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“I do not feel there needs to be that type of housing built here,” she said, adding that resorts can provide housing for their employees or provide transportation allowances. “I don’t see how you can be bringing that kind of housing to Harrison. Crime in Harrison is bad enough as it is. I’m not being prejudiced, but I think that would get worse.”
Palmer said that he did not believe that renters have a higher level of criminality than homeowners, and that although he didn’t think that was what Boudreau was suggesting, it was a challenging statement. Facio noted that any housing built on the lot would be affordable housing for staff and seniors who want to downsize, not necessarily low-income housing.
Further discussions on the future of the vacant lot will be held during the OCP planning process, which will look at the plan for the entire village.
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