Whitehorse councillors 'have their head in the sand': developer
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 | 6:09 PM CT
CBC News
A private Whitehorse developer blamed city councillors for the current housing crunch after they turned down his latest bid for a trailer park expansion.
In a 4-3 vote, councillors voted Monday night to turn down Barry Bellchambers's proposal to expand his Takhini Trailer Park across the road into a wooded area.
It was Bellchambers's second attempt to have the area in question rezoned for residential use.
Some councillors have raised concerns about how Bellchambers acquired the option to purchase the property from the Yukon government.
"Those councillors who voted against it seemed to have their head in the sand, still," Bellchambers said outside council chambers Monday night.
"They don't give a damn, and it's a shame for the younger people and the lower income people."
Some area residents also opposed Bellchambers's proposal.
"Should not the existing Takhini mobile home park be brought up to standards before considering issuing licence to create yet another possible eyesore?" said Lorraine Hemstock, a resident of the newer Mountain View Place trailer park, located near the Takhini Trailer Park.
Outside the chambers, Hemstock challenged Bellchambers to model his next development after her neighbourhood.
"Take a look at Mountain View, how beautiful it is," Hemstock said to Bellchambers.
Bellchambers says he spent $1M
Bellchambers said he has already spent about $1 million to upgrade his existing park.
He said certain city councillors are to blame for the city's housing shortage.
"Some of them have been there for a long, long time and they're part of the problem," Bellchambers said.
"They should have been proactive to the problem in this town right now: there's a serious lack of affordable and entry-level housing."
