BARRHEAD -- Town of Barrhead councillors hope to address the community's housing shortage by rezoning or redistricting six lots in Beaver Brook Estates to higher-density accommodations.
Councillors decided to rezone the lots from R1 residential to R3 residential following a July 9 in-camera council session. This was part of an amendment to the municipality's land-use bylaw, and they unanimously gave it first reading.
In a separate motion, councillors also set a public hearing on the bylaw for Aug. 13 at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers.
R1-residential allows for low-density housing, such as single-detached dwellings, while R3 allows for various housing options, such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and rowhouses.
After the meeting, chief administrative officer Edward LeBlanc said one of the reasons why council decided to rezone the lots is that they recognize that there is a shortage of housing in the community.
"There are people trying to move to town and are having a huge challenge finding suitable accommodations," he said. "So the council decided to become proactive to see if they could attract a potential developer by rezoning the lots."
LeBlanc added, "The truth is the lots in Beaver Brook Estates have been up for sale for a considerable amount of time."
He also noted that while the province gifted the Beaver Brook Lands to the municipality, town ratepayers have invested considerable money in developing and bringing infrastructure to the subdivision.
"And council would like to see it progress," LeBlanc said.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
