An application by the owners of the Houston Trailer Court to gather together two properties of different zones under a blanket zone for manufactured trailer parks did not make it to a bylaw preparation stage for consideration by council.
If the zoning was changed, the properties, now regarded as existing non-conforming, would then comply with District zoning.
“It is common knowledge that mobile homes have moved into and out for years in this mobile home park,” the owners cited in their rezoning application.
Instead council decided at its March 16 meeting to receive and file a rezoning application which would have changed the designation of the District’s Official Community Plan and changed the property at 2434 Butler Ave. from core commercial to manufactured home park and the property at 2432 Birch St. from multifamily residential to manufactured home park.
A memo from chief administrative officer to Gerald Pinchbeck noted that the long term vision of the two properties is to have them developed either for mixed commercial or multifamily residential.
Based on the Official Community Plan, the objective, based on the wording in the plan, is to “transition manufactured home parks out of the downtown area to allow for higher density units close to commercial services,” his memo stated.
Pinchbeck did add, however, that a 2019 District housing needs assessment did identify the need for a broad mix of housing, including more affordable manufactured homes.
Council did, ultimately, accept Pinchbeck’s recommendation not to proceed with the rezoning process.
“While the application, if approved, would result in the property being able to operate in conformance to the District’s bylaws, the express statements of the Official Community Plan, the identification of the property as being desired for future commercial and multifamily residential development, and the long-standing zoning of the property as commercial land do not support the application,” he wrote.
