Goderich residents looking to preserve green space in their neighbourhood will wait until next month for a decision from council.
Council for the Town of Goderich was considering an application from staff to rezone a lot at 110 Picton Street – that used to be home to the lawn bowling club – as residential land so affordable housing could be developed there.
However, some residents from the area have argued the zoning should not be changed, as greenspace is at a premium in the neighbourhood.
Sarah McKercher, in a second delegation to council, suggested a use for the space under its current zoning.
"The reason we asked for a delegation was to come in before that rezoning and talk about the use of the land under its community zone, recognizing that it's underutlizied now, so how could we use that space to benefit the community?" she said. "That's why we came forward with the idea of the greenspace, this senior-focused accessible parkland. It could be used as this under it's current zoning and it meets a need in the community."
She added that the park would be a convenient location, right next to the OneCare facility.
McKercher's presentation also highlighted various grant opportunities to help fund the build of the park, noting that it could be done over the long-term with no major initial investment from the town.
She stressed that they weren't arguing against the need for affordable housing in Goderich, but noted the lack of greenspace and parking issues that developing this particular lot could lead to.
Mayor Trevor Bazinet told McKercher there had been a development since she had previously spoken to council, saying he was eyeing housing options elsewhere.
"Since your first delegation, there has been some other things pop up that I would consider a priority in regards to housing," he said. "We've had a developer come forward that is really keen on developing some affordable market rent in a different location in the town. That's something you expressed to us, to consider different locations of vacant land in the town for that type of housing, so that's what we're doing."
Council decided to defer a decision on the matter until it's next meeting, on February 9.
