Developers pull re-zoning application for Altona's Parkside Village

There's been a development in the request to re-zone Parkside Village in Altona in order to facilitate plans for multi-family units to be built on the property. 

1820 Properties and Brookstone Capital, the new owners of Parkside Village, have withdrawn the re-zoning application for consideration with the Town of Altona. 

"(We want to) just do some reconfiguring based on what we think would work the best overall," said spokesperson Owen Reimer. "It's not that re-zoning is off the table or anything like that. We just think there may be some different ways to do it that could make everybody happy."

The request drew emotional opposition from about two dozen people at a public hearing that took place earlier this month. Many of them, residents of the mobile home park expressed concern about losing their homes. No one at the hearing spoke in favour of the re-zoning application.

Reimer says that opposition didn't necessarily play a role in the decision to pull the application.

"There was really no point in addressing those (concerns) because we are addressing Council in that regard for a public hearing," he said. 

"This is a new council too, so a lot of this was new to them," added Reimer. "Not that re-zoning doesn't fit the development plan for the Town of Altona, but we would like to have it go through a little smoother than had we continued along the path that we were on."

Mayor Harv Schroeder says now that the application has been withdrawn, there are no next steps for Council to pursue on the matter and a decision is not required. 

"From the zoning and planning perspective, the matter is closed," he said.