Plans to re-designate a 35-acre piece of land in Burke Mountain that was to be the site of a middle school/community centre and single-family homes to higher-density townhouses is being put on hold so that further public consultation can take place.
City manager Peter Steblin made the announcement during Monday's council meeting, noting that significant concerns from residents means the proposal is not ready for a public hearing, which was expected to take place on July 28.
Last month, The Tri-City News reported that residents in the Smiling Creek neighbourhoods were circulating a petition to stop the city from changing lands designated for a middle school and community centre to mostly townhouses. The increased density, some residents said, would limit green space and increase traffic congestion in the area.
Some of those concerns, Steblin said Monday night, are based on a "misunderstanding of what is actually happening."
He said that School District 43 no longer wants the land for a school, preferring to build in the nearby Partington Creek neighbourhood.
An item outlining the current status of the land use designation will be coming to council in two weeks, Steblin said, but the public input opportunity will be delayed.
"We are not recommending that we pursue this opportunity at this time," he said. "There will be more than enough opportunities for people to get their concerns known."
