City residents will be given a chance to express their thoughts on whether the city should allow the closed Haldi Road school to be rezoned to allow the building to be used as a dog kennel and breeding facility.
An open house meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Vanway elementary school. City staff and the applicant for the proposed kennel operation will be in attendance to field questions about plans for the building at 5877 Leslie Rd., and the application process.
The applicant has proposed the removal of Policy Section 7.5.9 a, of the Official Community Plan, which was to permit use of the building " for the supportive residential care of up to 30 persons who received care or support primarily related to substance dependence, mental health issues or both."
The proposal would also remove the designation, "Community Care Facility, Therapeutic," from the AR2 rural residential zone the definition of the zoning bylaw and would add "Animal Breeding and Boarding," to the AR2 zone for the Leslie Road address only.
The proposal would also review a restrictive covenant on the property title.
Feedback gathered at the open house will be provided to city council. Those who are unable to attend can submit written comments by March 4 by mail to: City of Prince George, Development Services Division, Attention: Mandy Striker, Second Floor, 1100 Patricia Blvd., prince George, V2L 3V9; by fax to: 250-561-7721; or by email to: [email protected].
Council has yet to formally consider the proposal and will be requesting comments again from residents before the first and second reading of the bylaws. The dates of those readings have yet to be determined.
In 2013, city council approved an application from the Northern Supportive Recovery Centre for Women to use the property as a 30-bed recovery centre for women for the site. The proposal survived two legal challenges before the group decided to cease its efforts to convert the school and its 10-acre site for use as a recovery centre.
Haldi Road was one of seven elementary schools in the city which were closed in 2002.
