Scott Stanfield
Record staff
Shelly Lesperance-Farndon hopes a 10-metre greenspace behind her Elderberry Crescent residence remains a park/wildlife corridor. She also hopes the trees in the park remain standing, since they act as a noise buffer from Costco.
During a public hearing Monday at Courtenay city council, Lesperance-Farndon spoke against a proposed rezoning of Crown Isle property where Silver Sand Land Corp. intends to build a residential development.
The plan includes paving the 10-metre greenspace into a walkway that would connect Waters Place to Anderton Road.
“The idea is to concentrate more dense residential development around commercial areas,” said Rick Waldhaus, Crown Isle real estate development manager. He noted the need for more affordable housing near North Island College, Costco and the new hospital under construction across Lerwick.
Costco has requested a noise easement, which Waldhaus said is problematic and unnecessary because it won’t mitigate other noise, such as sirens.
In an effort to mitigate noise, Silver Sand plans to extend the fence from Crown Isle’s westernmost boundary to Crown Isle Boulevard.
Earlier in the month, council voted 5-2 in favour of second reading for the rezoning.