A set of bylaws being proposed by city council that may lead to allowing an assisted living facility to be built in east Flin Flon were discussed at length in a public meeting last week.
A mandated public hearing took place at City Hall Jan. 2 to read out any objections to a pair of bylaw changes being pursued by the City.
If passed as written, the bylaws would allow the City and council to alter zoning for the southern portion of Willowvale Park. The first change would see the City’s development plan amended, changing the area from “park and recreation development” to “residential development”, while the second would see the City’s zoning bylaw for the area changed from “parks and recreation zone” to “multiple family dwelling zone”.
The zoning change, say city councillors and City executive staff, is meant to smooth the way for an unnamed property developer to potentially develop the site as an assisted living home. The area shown in City maps includes the former site of the Willow Park Curling Club, the now-disused Willowvale wading pool and potentially the site of the Willowvale playground. If the land is developed, councillors and staff have said the pool would be demolished and the park and its play structures could be moved, including elsewhere in the same park.
The location is not the same as the last time the City attempted to rezone part of the park - back in 2022, the then-current city council proposed rezoning the northern part of the park for a similar purpose, but the measure met instant opposition from residents who saw the move as potentially causing the permanent closure of the Joe Brain Petting Zoo. The bylaw changes were never passed and all but one city councillor did not return for the current council, who were elected soon after.
A total of 14 people showed up for the meeting, during which questions ran the gamut from what the proposed development could look like to why other sites were not being pursued by the City or the developer. Councillors have given no details about the identity of the possible developer, saying no deals have been reached, except confirming that it is a different group than the one that engaged with the City in 2022.
“Right now, this bylaw is looking to change the zoning of that part of the park from a green space to potentially residential. Nothing’s been purchased yet. Nothing’s been decided. That’s just the attempt right now,” said councillor Steve Lytwyn, who served as deputy mayor at the meeting.
One common question is why the developer wasn’t planning to build somewhere else within the community, including at a place like Creekside Park or the site of a former Manitoba Housing development near Hemlock Drive. The answer to that, from a City perspective, is an easy one - because the developer had no interest in building there.
“What’s happened is a developer is interested in building a facility in our community. They did a tour of the community, they saw everything, we would have taken them around and show them various green spaces or open areas - the developer is most interested in that area,” said Lytwyn.
“We have shown that to many developers over the years,” said councillor Bill Hanson of the Hemlock location.
Councillors confirmed that, if a deal is reached for a different site or if the developer loses interest, the site could be rezoned back to its original state, as well as confirming that the rezoning would not mean an unconditional sale to the developer - the City, if council chooses to rezone the land, would still want to review plans for the site before selling the land or approving permitting, putting conditions on the process.
“My understanding would be that’s kind of putting the cart before the horse because they can’t put a plan in based on that land until the land is rezoned. They can’t say, ‘Okay, here’s our plan to build in that area,’ until the land is rezoned,” said Lytwyn.
“There would have to be an offer first, then an actual proposal of what they’re going to put there, then there might have to be another public meeting,” said Hanson of what would need to happen if the measures are eventually passed.
Councillor Mike Slipp said that, while he attended the meetings during the previous rezoning process, he saw the idea of having an assisted living facility in Flin Flon as a positive, while saying that it would need to be done right, how the community wants.
“We need this, not only for our seniors, but as a tax base or a source for the City. It's going to create jobs. It’s going to create construction jobs for building the place. But, all we're doing here tonight is talking about rezoning that land,” he said.
The next step is sending relevant documents and objections to the provincial municipal relations board in Winnipeg to see if the rezoning meets provincial approval. If it does, that clears the way for council to give the rezoning bylaws another reading at a future meeting, allowing it to be passed.
“There are certain decisions that we make that need to go through the municipal board,” said City chief administrative officer Lyn Brown.
