BOWDEN — Town council has set a new date for a public hearing on a proposal to rezone land that includes the old Lions Community Hall.
It will be held Aug. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Bowden Town Hall.
The proposal calls for three lots — including the old Lions Community Hall — to be rezoned.
The change would allow Okotoks developer Kyle McCowan to renovate the hall to accommodate 26 apartment units. The lots, at 2019 19th Ave., are 50 metres east of Highway 2A, southeast of the Bowden Hotel.
On July 8, a public hearing was held to give members of the public a chance to provide input on the proposal. However, it was ruled invalid because first reading was given to a bylaw to rezone the land during a Municipal Planning Commission meeting, instead of in council.
That problem was fixed on July 22. This time, council itself gave first reading to an amended bylaw.
When that amended bylaw was presented, Treena Miller, Red Deer County's manager of current planning said the amended version provides more flexibility so that the land could be zoned for anything from three single-family homes (if the old hall was demolished) to developing apartments such as those McCowan proposes.
During the July 22 meeting, some councillors suggested setting 6 p.m. as the time for the new public hearing to give lots of time for members of the public to provide their input. They noted time was tight when the July 8 hearing was held because it only lasted for about half an hour.
"There will be written submissions, which have to be read aloud. And anyone with a verbal submission has to be permitted to do that too. So I think we should err on the side of 6 o'clock," Mayor Robb Stuart said.
"I agree," said Coun. Carol Pion.
However, councillors were told that would be awkward, because ads giving a time of 6:30 p.m. had already been bought. So council decided to leave it at that start time and hold the council meeting that follows it at 7:30 p.m., if necessary — half an hour later than normal.
