A development at 3350 Voght St. the site of the former Grasslands Hotel, was once again brought before council for parcel rezoning following a Public Hearing. 

The property was rezoned to Medium Density (R7) and Residential Modular Home (R4) in October of 2020 with the intention of having townhouses facing Voght St. with a modular home community at the rear of the property. 

The owner of the land, Spayum Holdings LLC, expressed difficulties with finding a developer who would be willing to undertake a project that would include both townhouses and modular homes and requested that the zoning be changed to  simply Residential Modular Home.

Both representatives of Spayum Holdings LLC and True Consulting, who has partnered with Spayum on the development, spoke to council following a lengthy presentation about the proposed changes. 

 

POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM MERRITTONIANS

During the Public Hearing, Mayor and council heard overwhelmingly positive comments from Merrittonians, who were strongly in support of the modular homes, as opposed to the mixed density of townhouses and modular homes. 

A resident of Parker Dr. whose property overlooks the development site spoke in favour of the zoning change.

“We feel very comfortable, and have from the beginning, that a quality modular home park village on this property would be the best fit for our existing communities and for new people coming to Merritt,” said the resident, who also spoke about traffic concerns in the area that would be alleviated by the installation of a traffic circle, which would partially occupy the property at 3350 Voght St.  

“I am very much in favour of a quality manufactured home development on the site,” said another resident of Parker Dr.

“I believe that the developer has presented a very viable project for the property, and an affordable housing solution for the City of Merritt. The developers have gone out of their way to make a project that will make Merritt proud. Providing proper zoning for this property will contribute to a bountiful development for your community, while refusing the rezoning will likely lead to a stall in the property and a weed infested eyesore that we’ve been accustomed to for the last 14 or 15 years.” 

He also spoke to the potential tax revenue of the property, which is situated along Merritt’s main thoroughfare.

“This property has the potential to return over $1 million to the City in taxes in ten short years with the development,” the resident speculated.

“As it currently sits, you’d collect about $30,000.” 

The General Manager of the Lower Nicola Indian Band (LNIB) Development Corp. also spoke in favour of the project, which is a joint effort between the five Indigenous bands in the Nicola Valley, who together own Spayum Holdings LLC.

“To see five First Nations group come together to collaborate on one project is outstanding, for a lot of different reasons, so I’m really optimistic about the outcome of this and I sincerely hope it goes through.” 

The only point of concern came from a resident along Burgess Ave. who requested that a fence be constructed along the future path that would run along the property escarpment, bordering the backyards of Burgess Ave. homes. This, he said, would deter people from accessing Burgess Ave. properties and prevent theft, as well as limiting erosion. 

When it came time to vote on the rezoning, council expressed their gratitude to the developer for going to such lengths to please the public and reach a suitable compromise that would provide much needed housing without negatively affecting the neighbouring properties. 

Councillor Mike Bhangu was the only one on council to have reservations about the development model. 

“I like the layout, I like the design, I like how the developer and public worked well together, I’m just not comfortable with a lease ownership model and for that reason I can’t move forward with this,” said Bhangu. 

“But outside of that, I think it’s wonderful to have a developer and the public work together to present something to us.”  

The Zoning Amendment Bylaw was carried 6 – 1, with only councillor Bhangu opposed.

Although it is difficult for the developer to put a definite price on the modular homes due to fluctuations in the cost of building materials, such as lumber, it is likely the homes will be in the $400,000 to $450,000 range, with a monthly lease fee of $500 that would also cover services such as water and sewer.