Several residents showed up to the latest Smithers town council meeting on June 27 to learn about a potential new supportive housing development.
Recently, BC Housing entered into a conditional sale agreement with the owners of the Capri Motor Inn to purchase the hotel and adjacent restaurant with the intention of repurposing the existing buildings.
The plan is to create a supportive housing development containing up to 60 units while the building next door, which is currently the Tandoori restaurant will be converted into a kitchen facility for the housing development.
The sale is contingent on the town amending the Official Community Plan and rezoning the property.
Those two requests were up for first and second reading at Tuesday’s night council meeting.
A member of the public, local realtor Ron Lapadat spoke up about the location of the proposed development.
“There are already issues in that area with drug activity that aren’t getting addressed,” he said. “There are residential homes there, a seniors centre, an elementary school down the road and I have a feeling it will bring high-risk individuals into the area.
“I wonder what would be wrong with building something across the street [from town hall in Veterans’ Park.] There are no residences there. I know it is quick-term solution because it is already there but this location was zoned for commercial tourism, it will shorten up the number of rooms, we already have a shortage of rooms for tourism and that is what Smithers is built around largely.”
A representative of BC Housing Sam Hogg gave a presentation about the proposed project.
He clarified that BC Housing does not ship homeless people in from other areas of the province to fill the rooms and that supportive housing isn’t just for people addicted to drugs, but a wide range of people including young people, seniors, or people with physical or mental disabilities, anyone who has experienced trauma, poverty, or struggled with the high cost of housing.
Council gave both of the requests, to rezone and amend the OCP first and second reading.
The changes will need to go to a public hearing before third reading and adoption.
The earliest that can happen is the end of July.
READ MORE: Capri Motor Inn slated to turn into supportive housing
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