Urban Village Plan Gets Green Light
Conceptual plan of proposed Urban Village- image presented to Prince George City Council
Prince George, B.C.- The proposal to have property rezoned to allow for the development of an “Urban Village” has been approved by Prince George City Council.
The plan calls for a phased development of property at 1919 17th Avenue as an ‘urban village’ with access from Bowser . The first phase of site development is proposed to occur towards the south of the property line and feature multiple residential housing.
The 7 acre site is bordered by 17th avenue on the north, and Bowser on the south. The application called to rezone the property from P2 Minor Institutional to RM 3 and RM 5 multiple residential.
The site has the capacity for 250 units, ranging from studio apartments to three bedrooms.
The first phase would see 50 units constructed. The Aboriginal Housing Society says there still needs to be a demand study to clarify what the demand and needs are in the community.
It would take about 2 years for the first phase to be completed.
While there has been a traffic impact analysis done, fourth reading of the rezoning, will hinge on a complete report on services that are required, such as sewer and water.
Those who expressed concerns about the project voiced issues of drainage from the property, increased traffic flow through the residential areas adjacent to the site and worries tenants will not keep the property in good condition.
The Aboriginal Housing Society says it manages several rental properties in Prince George and is more than willing to show residents how those properties are kept in good order.
One area resident noted the vacant lot is a like “a wildflower meadow in spring it’s a lovely bit of land. I’ve been fearful that one day somebody would come and ruin it with ugly buildings. So when I got this notice, which I got a week or so ago from the Aboriginal Housing Society which described the project, to be in serious danger of misquoting Chief Dan George, ‘My heart soared’ because I thought, this is beautiful, this is a dream, which I wouldn’t mind sacrificing my wildflower meadow for.” But she is worried the current proposed access will be a nightmare as Yew Street is already congested. She offered one final message to the Aboriginal Housing Society “This is one dream that I hope comes true.”
Planning Department Manager Ian Wells says it’s premature to talk about traffic flow as the project is not yet at the stage of development drawings and plans which show access and egress but added, the developers plan “is spectacular.”
“There will be more processes for people to get involved” said Councillor Frank Everitt who pointed out this is just the first step in the process.
Mayor Hall says he thinks the concept for the land meets what Council is trying to accomplish when it comes to housing in the community “It looks like a very exciting project. I am very pleased with the public hearing it went well, and I am very pleased that the applicant is going to continue to meet with the community to talk about progression of the project.” He says as the project progresses through different phases, going to the community “is so important.”
Comments
So is this a private venture or a First Nations venture my question is how much is this going to cost the tax payers….
What is the cost of all this and who is paying , that is what they have not told us. Who paid for the plans for this Village to be drawn up? M.K. had big plans years ago to do something like this is this the same programme?
Sounds like an interesting project.. my only concern is the statement…”it’s premature to talk about traffic flow”
No it’s not.. Every aspect of the build with resulting impact to the area should be calculated out first..even before the ground breaks.. not sure how much faith I would have in a project manager that is already pushing aside one if the major impacts on the area…
There are no Project Managers at this point to begin with. Its in the development stage with mean its only slightly past the conceptual stage. A traffic impact study has been done. What Ian Wells is talking about is the flow which is part of the design as its developed. This will also have to be approved by the city’s Transportation Engineer. So yes, coming form the developers side, why put that time/work into something when the concept hasn’t even been approved yet?
“Those who expressed concerns about the project voiced issues of drainage from the property, increased traffic flow through the residential areas adjacent to the site and worries tenants will not keep the property in good condition”
Legitimate concerns, among a few others that this project may bring.
This would make the area so much better! Has anyone seen what 17th Ave even looks like near Winnipeg? Gross and disgusting! I live in this area and welcome the proposed changes! As for traffic, well it’ll increase for sure so that needs to be addressed.
The downgraded Winnipeg from 2 lanes to 1 to accommodate the 3 or 4 people who cycle down Winnipeg; I wonder if they’ll have to undo that change to handle the increased traffic?
Guess we’ll find out in 4 years or so.
take the artists concept and throw it out the window, because what is being proposed is essentially a Bronx ghetto. Urban village? Now that’s a good chuckle.
It may look like that for the first 6 months.
Its a great idea , it goes along with the Cities plan to keep all the problems in one area of the City, maybe they can move all the Down Town problems over there and clean up the Down Town. What about the people living in the area what is this going to do to their home values? you know the taxpayers ,will they get a say ? This is a great plan , for who? Build and they will come.
Personally I totally agree with with reallife! I have seen some of these houses that belong to this society, and the ones I have seen are unkempt and shabby looking! The renters don’t put no effort into keeping them looking good. I think it is a bad concept. Urban Village??? Sounds great, Bronx Village sounds ominous but has more credence I hate to say.
Trust PGs critics of change too freak out once again . There have been ” urban villages ” being built for over a hundred years ( purpose built ) . The change from incandescent to LEDs must have been major trauma. If this project desides to produce their own electricity you’ll need teams of phyciatic workers to rebalance the PTSD from it .
your funny, but true.
Everything we do will have an impact. even building your own house. It cut down trees somewhere, ground was mined to make gypsum board, oil was burn to deliver stuff, cows were killed when the guys went to Mcdonald’s. Yes traffic flow will change. yes, when you moved into the neighbourhood, you impacted others. Deal with it.
Looks very progressive, I would suggest that the Police, fire department and ambulance people get involved on the layout, to ensure that it can be built to accessible of emergency crews. Since it is a bit of a nook type land with limited access.
Tamarack and 20th man arrested ,the area has problems is this Village going to bring more problems ? The Police need to be involved . I think this is the wrong spot maybe the Hart or College Heights would be a better location.
Most of the amenities are downtown, walking distance (or a short cab ride) from this location. Besides, I’m sure the Mayor and Council wouldn’t want this Village in their neighbourhood either.
There is lots of amenities on the Hart and College Heights, Its the City trying to keep all the Cities problems in one area, how is that fair to the taxpayers and Business in that area? Look what they did with the Hookers to clean up the Downtown, the Hooker problem is much better but it has taken years to get it that way.
Hospitals, Doctor’s offices, government services are all within walking distance of this proposed location. The Hart has a Save-On and a 15 Dollar store, not really the amenities I was thinking about. College Heights has some big box stores.
What neighborhood do you live in, so we can propose the ghetto be built there ?
ideally this project could be completed on previously developed land, recycle rather than destroy the “wildflower meadow”.
Section 10 of the BC Human Rights Code lists the grounds on which landlords are not allowed to discriminate in residential tenancies. A landlord may not refuse to rent to you because of your:
race
colour
ancestry
place of origin
religion
marital status
family status
physical or mental disability
sex
sexual orientation
age (if 19 or older)
lawful source of income
If that is the case, than I am curious how anyone can create any race specific residential solution.
So that means anyone should be able to live in this Government Housing no what there income is?
Hart Hwy. For sure! They already have a melting pot of whoever and whatever! Sorry Rob! Bwahahahah
More empty space in the bowl being built on. Good, glad to see this development happening.
PG has some of the worst rental housing of any major city I have seen, so anything is an improvement. That said I wouldn’t ever want to live in that area… to much crime.
Most of the multi residential in PG is fourth plus years old now and are adult oriented buildings. I would suggest if they want to help out young native families then projects like this that make good new family units available makes a lot of sense.
It would fit nicely in the Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.
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