A proposal to build up to 800 residential units on land next to the Englishman River in Parksville was defeated by council at third reading on Monday.
Only Mayor Doug O’Brien voted in favour of the proposal for 1465 Greig Rd. He cited the need for workforce housing for the community, saying a single-family house in the city can cost $1 million.
Parksville needs affordable, diverse housing for health care workers, people who work in the trades, hospitality employees and single-parent families, O’Brien said, calling the proposal from District Developments, of Vancouver, a visionary plan.
District had promised to pay more than $1,000 per unit into a habitat improvement fund, O'Brien said.
Environmental and First Nations concerns were key reasons other council members did not back the plan. They referred to the many citizens who spoke out against the development, which would have gone up south of the city.
Coun. Mary Beil said the potential negative impact on the Englishman River and its riparian zone and the possible loss of flood plain storage were critical issues for her.
Coun. Sean Wood said the city needed to do a better job of consultation with First Nations. Snaw-Naw-As Coun. Christopher Bob had spoken against the proposal at the public hearing last month, saying that consultation was lacking and that the nation was concerned about the salmon.
The Monday vote puts an end to the rezoning application by District. The earlier public hearing was packed with opponents to the plan, many worried about the potential impact the salmon-bearing river.
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