City approves mixed-use units for Copperwood

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on September 15, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Developers are one step closer to seeing a multi-use housing project starting in the West Lethbridge subdivision of Copperwood.

Lethbridge city council on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a proposed amendment to the Copperwood Stage 2 outline plan.

This plan will allow Daytona Urban Development Corp to utilize about 61.74 hectares – 156.56 acres – of developed and undeveloped land south of Copperwood Stage 1 for mixed-use units that would have business space on the main floor and residential housing on the second floor.

The plan will allow Daytona to build units that will allow small-scale commercial businesses to operate in what is mainly a residential neighbourhood.

The amendment was recommended to council by its Civic Works Standing Policy Committee.

A report prepared by Stantec Consulting Ltd. on behalf of Daytona, states “to accommodate a variety of market sectors and lifestyles, a mixture of housing alternatives is offered within the outline plan area. The community is primarily low-density single-detached housing and medium-density multi-family sites.”

Speaking in support of the amendment, acting mayor Belinda Crowson on Tuesday told council the change is being requested by the developer “in response to changing market demand.”

Businesses allowed in the project would be limited in scope, Crowson said.

“There are of course concerns about what type of commercial” would be allowed, she said, as the Civic Works committee heard from one resident.

A comprehensive plan will come to council in two weeks and then matters such as the types of zoning that will be permitted will be addressed.

Crowson said businesses that could be allowed would be one-person professional operations such as psychologists or hairdressers and “people who might be more likely to work from home.”

Dan Janzen, who is representing the developer, said in response to a question from councillor Ryan Parker, that developers are hosting an open house on Sept. 20 and residents from a much larger area in scope than those contacted have been informed about it.

The area of consultation has been expanded to 500 metres from the required 60 – close to 10 times the requirement.

The SPC was told at its meeting some residents felt they didn’t have the information they needed and weren’t consulted.

Janzen told council for the first open house, consultation range was 250 metres, but after the SPC meeting developers decided to double that for their next face-to-face with residents.

Crowson told council the type of zoning used now has been widespread since the 1920s “and it creates a very specific type of community that segregated residential and commercial in ways that we are now realizing may not have created the communities we actually wanted to live in.”

This type of mixed use zoning creates more sustainable communities, she added.

Crowson indicated it supports the concept of “live, work and play.”

Research, said Crowson, shows a substantial number of people want to live in these types of communities, adding the pandemic has accelerated the trend with people wanting to work from home for childcare, lifestyle and other reasons.

“This is a more effective use of land which could actually save the City in the long run if we can keep utility rates, et cetera, down. Mixed-use development performs better in economic downturns so this would actually give this community a boost.”

She said this use in other communities creates less sprawl and it helps to conserve both land and environmental resources.

Janzen said after council’s vote that the amendment is “great for the community. It will increase the walkability of our communities and reduce the cars on the road, get people walking through their communities, knowing the business in their communities.

“They’ll be living next door to the guy that owns the coffee shop on the corner…just really helping to create close-knit communities.”

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