The fate of an existing trailer park in West Kelowna will be up for debate this week.
On Wednesday, West Kelowna’s advisory planning commission (APC) will be reviewing a rezoning request for the property at 2355 Marshall Road.
Kerr Properties is seeking council’s approval to rezone the property from the Manufactured Home Park Zone (RMP) to the Light Industrial (I1) Zone to make way for a storage unit business.
A staff report says the property falls within an area that has been identified for “industrial objectives” under the city’s Official Community Plan.
The property is adjacent to Highway 97 and in between Westlake Road and Horizon Drive and the land use designation is business park, which allows for a variety of commercial and light industrial uses within the city.
Kerr Properties’ preliminary design plans show two buildings that would total 146,000 square feet, including offices, storage units and mezzanine spaces.
According to the staff report, the developer has proposed a relocation assistance plan for people living in the existing Shady Acres trailer park.
“Originally, the park had 43 manufactured home pads and one house also built in the 1960s. Remaining are 27 manufactured homes and the one house,” says the applicant’s redevelopment plan.
“(Eighteen) of the remaining homes are owned by Kerr Properties and are rented on a month-to-month basis. (Ten) of the remaining homes are owned by individual owners and the remainder of the pads are vacant with manufactured homes already demolished or scheduled for demolition.”
The plan explains that many of the homes are “well beyond” their economic life and the park itself has experienced ongoing domestic water, sanitary sewer and road infrastructure issues.
The relocation plan includes the process of tenant notification, the demographic of tenants as well as options to sell or relocate the homes.
According to the developer, many of the tenants are low income and include single seniors, single people and couples or families.
“Many of our residents face low household income, and are unemployed or retired and are on fixed incomes. Many residents have physical or mental disabilities and rely on government assistance programs for financial aid and living assistance,” the relocation plan says.
Council will have to consider the relocation plan in detail to make sure it follows the city’s Manufactured Home Park Redevelopment Policy.
The APC will voice concerns during the meeting on Wednesday so staff can dig into the potential issues further before preparing a recommendation to council.
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