Council to consider bylaw amendment for supportive housing facility
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on August 24, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com Lethbridge city council will hold a special meeting on Tuesday to give first reading to a land use bylaw amendment for a property on Stafford Drive North which Lethbridge Housing Authority wants to develop for supportive housing.Bylaw 6411 specifically addresses 416 Stafford Drive North which is a vacant property.
With council chambers closed for upgrades, council will gather in meeting room 003.
According to a presentation to be made by Community Planner II Genesis Molesky, the purpose of the proposed amendment is to allow for a supportive housing development with more than 25 units and for delegation of development approval to the development authority.
The amendment would change the land use classification of the property to Direct Control from General Commercial.
LHA wants to develop a social housing facility with 30 supportive units as well as a pharmacy and medical clinic on the site.
Under the standard definition of supportive housing in Bylaw 6300, a maximum of 25 unites are allowed so the property has to be changed to Direct Control with a custom definition to facilitate LHA’s plan.
The vacant property is located in the Senator Buchanan neighbourhood which is an area the City says is characterized by a mix of uses.
Lethbridge Housing plans to build a new mixed-use building that provides a supportive housing facility with pharmacy and medical/health office. Supportive housing isn’t allowed under the present zoning.
The City says the 25-unit limit in the standard definition of supportive housing is thought to have been based upon a provincial definition which is no longer in use. The City says other municipalities have different definitions and a universally employed limit on unit numbers in supportive housing facilities doesn’t exist.
The report to council says allowing more than 25 units will allow LHA to maximize the benefit that it can provide at this property.
On July 11, LHA hosted an open house with 25 landowners getting invitations by mail. Eight showed up. Two owners of a nearby business expressed fears that social issues they are experiencing may worsen if the proposal is approved. Direct notifications for the initial applications were sent to the owners of 25 properties within a 60-metre radius of the site and none responded.
If council gives first reading to the amendment, a public hearing date will be set.
Earlier this year provincial funding from the department of Seniors, Community and Social Services was approved for a $10.2 million supportive housing project here. Follow @albeebHerald on Twitter 4
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