BOWDEN -- A public hearing will be held this week (July 8) regarding a proposal to rezone a chunk of land — which includes the site of the old Lions Community Hall — to residential multi-family district.
Currently, it's zoned as a low density district.
That decision was made during a June 10 Municipal Planning Commission meeting.
The lots, at 2019 19th Ave., are 50 metres east of Highway 2A, southeast of the Bowden Hotel.
Mayor Robb Stuart says the Lions hall property has been sold to Okotoks developer Kyle McCowan.
McCowan told Mountain View Publishing he's looking at renovating the hall to accommodate one-bedroom suites that would be "more on the affordable side."
"I wouldn't call it affordable housing, though," he said. "There's always a stigma with affordable housing; that it's some kind of boxy, dumpy, rundown something, and that's not what that would be.
"It's (going to be) all new, and well-finished and — we'll say — you know, reasonably spacious. They're not extremely small, but not, of course (extremely large), they're just ideally of an adequate size for one person."
Previously, McCowan renovated the Pelican Motel along Highway 2 in Bowden. That project also involved creating suites and councillors indicated they're happy with the way that project turned out.
"Now that we've rezoned it, then he'll let us know what he's going to do," Stuart said. "But we have to have a public hearing to make sure that all the residents and everything (are) OK with that."
Last fall, McCowan had expressed interest in redeveloping the Bowden Hotel into a multi-unit building and featuring several small one-bedroom affordable apartments — depending on the legal status of that property. He says that legal status is still in limbo, so that project has not progressed.
