800 units of housing was proposed to be built in a currently wooded areas of south Parksville, overlooking the Englishman River. (City of Parksville)

By Jordan Davidson

community voices heard

Proposed ‘Riverside’ development in Parksville put on pause

Mar 22, 2023 | 5:24 AM

PARKSVILLE — A development proposal for an expansive area of the city’s south end is on hold for now.

City Councillors voted 6-1 against third reading of zoning and bylaw amendments for the proposed development, known as Riverside, at 1465 Greig Rd. Mayor Doug O’Brien was the lone supporter during their March 20 meeting.

O’Brien stressed the need for more housing in the growing community, especially affordable accommodations for middle-income individuals.

“Parksville needs workforce housing. Many of our service industry workers cannot afford to live in Parksville, and cannot continue to commute to Parksville…they’re healthcare workers, they’re the tradespeople, they are the school board and library workers.”

O’Brien went on to say it’s not just another project, but a viable one needed to sustain their community, and can also help attract more doctors to the area if they have affordable places to live.

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The vote was held before a full gallery of people, with the crowd interrupting a few times to voice their concerns or to applaud.

The proposed development has faced tough opposition from the community, which was heard loud and clear during a public hearing in mid-February.

Those concerns, centered around water supply and environmental impacts, were heard by a majority of Parksville councillors.

Coun. Sean Wood said nearly 3,000 submissions were received regarding this development and 2,986 of them were opposed to it.

Wood became emotional when talking about how he heard from local First Nations and the community about how this development could affect the town’s potable water supply and the environmental impact on the Englishman river.

“I have heard and seen actions of developers who don’t care to listen to the concerns of the public, and District (Group) was not one of them. I don’t feel like this file is an example of a developer not listening, but simply not the right location for the development.”

Wood said Council is working on ways to improve water potability in the community, along with working to protect the environmental concerns surrounding the Englishman river.

Coun. Amit Gaur said he supports “balanced growth” in the community between the need for affordable housing and the quality of life for people already living there.

“What do the people of Parksville value? We bring in all these people, we have this growth, and people who have been here contributing feel connected to our community, feel like ‘this is not my city, this is not the town I moved into, I want to move’ and we lose those valuable community members.”

(Heather Ranson/Greig Greenway Society)

The Greig Greenway Society celebrated Council’s decision, with president Lina Harbo saying in a statement they were “thrilled” council voted against developing the property.

“The Greig Greenway Society intend to move forward in protecting this valuable asset”.

Riverside was projected to begin construction in 2025, adding homes gradually over a 10 to 15-year period.

Multiple housing types were planned, primarily higher-density buildings such as apartments, totalling 800 units of housing.

Links in and out of the neighbourhood would have primarily come through Greig Rd., which would receive upgrades, as well as a more established intersection at Tuan Rd. and Hwy. 19A.

Green space areas would have be preserved, with roughly 60 per cent of the total land being reserved for non-building purposes, including 40 per cent deemed environmentally sensitive and another 20 per cent for parkways and trails.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow