Dozens of people poured into a north-end community centre to share their thoughts and feelings about a proposed residential development near Linley Valley.
Broadview Developments, a Victoria-based company, filed a development proposal last year calling for the construction of a 29.3-hectare residential subdivision at the end of Tanya Drive.
The proposal, which has been received by city staff, features a variety of amenities such as trails, dedicated parkland and a wildlife corridor.
On Thursday, Broadview hosted an open house at Oliver Woods Community Centre, where it showed off preliminary drawings for the development, answered questions and encouraged attendees to leave comments.
“We want to create a world-class neighbourhood. We want to have a place where the city is proud of it, where people are proud of it and are happy to live there. We want to it to be a very livable community,” said Jared Steingard, project manager with Broadview Developments.
The developers are seeking to have the property rezoned from an urban reserve to steep slope residential, which would allow them to subdivide and build residential housing.
Land designated as urban reserve areas are intended to become residential or commercial neighbourhoods in the future, according to the city’s website.
“We want to have a range of sizes and styles to appeal to different demographics, young families, retirees,” Steingard said. “This is such a special place in the city but there is nowhere to get to. There is parkland but there is no proper trailhead, there are no amenities. We can really complement what has already been created.”
Steingard said the proposed development and conceptual designs presented to the public are nothing more the concepts at this point and that city staff haven’t even issued a report on the development yet.
Resident's examine the conceptual plans for the proposed Tanya Drive development in #Nanaimo. pic.twitter.com/MsqIXfZ9hS
— Nicholas M Pescod (@npescod) June 30, 2017
However, a number of residents told the News Bulletin that they were concerned with Broadview’s proposal, citing increased traffic along Lost Lake Road and destruction of natural parkland.
“Traffic is already really bad and now they’re going to put 200 homes there. The only way in and out of Tanya is going to be Lost Lake Road and it’s too narrow,” said Laura Mockett, a resident.
Graham Howard said development around Linley Valley in general has damped the area’s charm and that Broadview’s proposal won’t help, adding that many people moved to the neighbourhood because of its pristine parkland.
“The reason why we all moved here is gone,” he said. “You’ve got to take this into consideration.”
David Fairbairn said city councillors need to have a serious plan regarding development in the Linley Valley area. He said he’s unsure about Broadview’s proposal and that councillors need to discuss the issue around development and let the people decide what is best for the neighbourhood.
“I am not saying don’t do it,” he said. “I don’t think I like it, but I am not saying don’t do it. But I am saying first the people have to decide and these guys (Broadview) aren’t getting much response from the city and I think this is a nudge to them.”
Steingard understands the concerns of many residents and said the goal of the open house is to work with the public before moving forward with the project.
“I think we have a unique opportunity and we think what we’ve presented here balances a lot of those issues,” he said. “We’re going to take all this feedback and see what we are going to improve on.”
nicholas.pescod@nanaimobulletin.com