Shelter property rezoned to enhance services

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on July 13, 2023.

Herald photo by Al Beeber City council has unanimously given second and third readings to a rezoning bylaw involving the area where the shelter property is located, allowing flexibility for expanding services in the future without a further rezoning.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

City council has unanimously given second and third readings to a rezoning bylaw involving the area where the shelter property is located.

Council voted Tuesday on the matter following a public hearing and presentations by senior community planner Ross Kilgour and project planning lead Logan Bartholow.

Before the vote on Bylaw 6395, council also amended bylaw 6394 which removed the parcel of land at 802 2A North from the area of the Railway Relocation Lands Area Redevelopment Plan.

This allowed that parcel of property to be rezoned to a new Direct Control land use district in Bylaw 6395.

Opportunity Lethbridge made the application on behalf of the City of Lethbridge as directed by city council last Nov. 8.

The parcel of land consists of the shelter, now operated by Blood Tribe Health. It was zoned to a DC district referring to the RRLARP.

The previous DC bylaw for the property was adopted back on Aug. 25, 1986. According to a report submitted to council, the RRLARP “was intended to facilitate the redevelopment of lands around the former railway lines and yards. The plan is no longer relevant to the existing conditions of the subject parcel.”

Bylaw 6395 allows for new uses on the property and for delegation of development approval authority to the City’s development authority.

The rezoning is intended “to allow flexibility for expanding services in the future without a further rezoning.”

Kilgour and Bartholow made clear to council that one use that will not be permitted on the property is a supervised consumption site. The mobile SCS operated by the province, Kilgour said, is not part of the affected property.

According to a presentation made at the hearing “without rezoning 802 2A Ave. N., the City (landowner) or tenant (shelter operator) will be challenged to change the approved use of a building, add a use to an existing building or alter the physical aspects of the site.”

Opportunity Lethbridge did four engagement “activities” to ensure what it calls key stakeholders were consulted. Those included internal stakeholder engagement, nearby neighbour targeted engagement, an information session for neighbours within 60 metres of the shelter and shelter operator engagement.

Several themes emerged during discussions that the presentation said helped inform changes to the bylaw. Those included capacity concerns; safety, security and cleanliness; substance use; parking, fencing and landscaping; and future opportunities.

Numerous proposed uses were suggested before engagement and after.

Current permitted uses include accessory buildings, resource centres, shelters, signs and soup kitchens.

Permitted uses under the new bylaw will include drop-in centres, food banks, group homes, medical and health office (outpatient), offices, shelter and stabilization facilities, substance recovery services and supportive housing.

The presentation stated that the new bylaw will let the shelter expand its capacity and offered services to meet demand by the community both short- and long-term. With the City owning the property, redevelopment remains within its control.

Bill Ginther of the Soup Kitchen, one of three public members who spoke at the hearing, was assured the bylaw changes would not affect that operation which is located on-site.

A lawyer from a firm near Streets Alive, which briefly housed a temporary warming shelter last winter, expressed his company’s support for the change. A third person did not.

During discussions, councillor Jenn Schmidt-Rempel expressed concerns about behaviours from the shelter area moving out toward the area of Senator Buchanan School and suggested engagement be done with that facility in the future.

Councillor Belinda Crowson said the bylaw would make sure the shelter operator has the resources they need to operate it effectively.

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