Prince George, B.C.- A proposal to rezone a  lot on Spruce Street  has  raised the  hackles of   residents in the neighbourhood,  and Council heard their concerns.

The  applicant wanted to rezone  just under one hectare of land that is wedged in between Spruce street on the west, Van Bien to the east and highway 97 to the north. The project  called  for the development of  a mix of residential units,  including single family,  duplex and town houses,  up to a maximum of 23 housing units in all.

That  level of  density  didn’t sit well  with the neighbours,   or with  some members of council.

Residents  are concerned  the  development will add to  traffic and parking problems in their neighbourhood.  They also expressed concern over the loss of greenspace.

Project developers  wanted to put some rumours to rest,  saying this is not a low income housing project “It was never our intent to build such a development”  said Darren Porsnuk.  He said  the units would sell for about $350  thousand dollars each, and is aimed at snowbirds and double income earners.

But  area residents  say the design of the project  does not match  the  form and character of the existing neighbourhood which has  large lots with single family homes.  They   raised concerns about  increased traffic on area roads, which are already  seeing  plenty of traffic  and  plenty of  vehicles parking on the street.

Councillor Brian Skakun  said he could not support  the  rezoning   noting the traffic concerns   “Trying to  stuff this in, is just going to make a bad problem worse.”

Councillor Scott also  spoke against the project  saying “It is a great idea,  but it’s in the wrong place.

Councillor Frank Everitt  also  opposed the  application,  as did Mayor Lyn Hall.  “I certainly  am a strong supporter of development in our community”, said Mayor Hall  but added there are instances  that come forward  where he has to take a long hard look at what is being presented,  and this was one of those cases “In light of what I’m hearing tonight,  specifically around the densification,  that’s a piece for  me in this particular neighbourhood that I need to question.”  Mayor Hall says while  increased density makes sense in other locations, “In this particular neighbourhood, I have a real concern.”