Terrace city council looked at various zoning proposals last night that could affect the growth and look of Terrace in the years to come. Here are several of the items from last night's regular council:
Ksan House Society gets start on purchasing new shelter
Council gave first and second readings to a zoning amendment that if passed will allow the non-profit to convert the building at 4614 Lazelle Ave. in downtown Terrace it wants to purchase into an extreme weather shelter for the homeless.
Ksan House Society has an option to purchase the building which is between the Canada Post building and the Terrace Interiors/General Paints building.
The 3,168 square foot structure, now vacant, was once the administrative office for the Northern Drugs chain of stores.
Ksan had been renting the All Nations Centre on Sparks Ave. from late fall into spring for an overnight shelter during colder weather but found it difficult to do that in conjunction with the centre's daytime user, the Terrace and District Community Services Society, which runs its own programs there for low income and homeless people.
The society has now moved its extreme shelter to its own housing and social services complex on Hall St. on the southside.
Council heard that Ksan has not contacted property owners around the Lazelle Ave. location but plans to do so in the coming weeks as part of the rezoning process.
The zoning change would be from C1 Commercial to P1 Public and Institutional if it passes third reading and adoption at a future council meeting.
The building could also be open year round as a drop in centre for the homeless.
Councillor Stacey Tyers, who works for the Terrace and District Community Services Society, says she has many questions about the plan.
Fellow councillor Lynne Christiansen said she is concerned about the location.
The Lazelle Ave. building is listed for sale at $479,900.
Rural resident wants to be part of city
A resident just north of town who owns a 40 acre lot within the Kitimat-Stikine regional district area, wants to be included within the boundaries of the city.
Ed Ansems plans to subdivide the majority of his North Eby (now called Merkley Rd.) property to allow more people to purchase and live there and says that the current regional district rules of a minimum of 10 acre parcels doesn’t suit his needs and he would like to be within the city where he could subdivide into smaller segments.
Councillor Brian Downie and Stacey Tyers pointed to other precedents at odds with his request. For example a subdivision plan was halted by council for a proposed rezoning on Halliwell Ave. last year, and areas on the south edge of Terrace are apparently more of a priority for boundary adjustments.
The request will be sent to city officials to look at, and city development services director David Block said that the boundary adjustment would also have to include the residences to the east of Ansems' property, were it to happen, which would require further consultation.
Local man wants city to urge government for more carbon tax money
Thornhill resident Martin Holzbauer was back before council last night asking them to submit a suggestion to the provincial government before the March 25 comments deadline for feedback about the provincial Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program.
He wants the city to press for a better return on the carbon tax money which he says is currently redistributed to corporations more than the individual taxpayers who represent a greater segment of the tax base.
He said the carbon tax could be better spent by communities for grass roots carbon reduction initiatives.