Village Heights master plan delivered to Village of Burns Lake council

The Village Heights master plan for a major housing development complex has been completed, and was presented to village council on March 22.

The location of the development is in the large space of land directly north of the Lakeview Mall, on the other side of Highway 16.

The plan was developed by True Consulting, an engineering and land surveying company, along with an advisory committee that included staff from the Village of Burns Lake (VBL) . Gerry Melenks from True Consulting and VBL Contract Planner Amy Wainwright have been leading the development of the plan.

The process began with background planning in August and September of 2021, and included a public information meeting in September and an open house in December, as well as an online survey in order to acquire public input.

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According to the plan, the development will include a mix of single family detached residential houses, multi-family residential duplexes and semi detached houses, apartment buildings, special needs housing for seniors and multi-use commercial buildings for retail and food businesses.

READ MORE: Burns Lake Village Heights master plan continues

It’s estimated that there will be 311 single detached units, 174 duplex units, 95 multi-family units, 23 apartment units. In total, this would have the capacity to bring an estimated 825 new residents to Burns Lake. There would also be 24 multi use commercial units for local business.

What was found from the public engagement is that affordable residential housing should be a priority, and should include homes with large views overlooking Burns Lake, more apartment buildings, and a mix of different design styles.

The development will also include open spaces for wildlife and a walking trail throughout, as it was also noted from public engagement a desire to bike and walking trails throughout the community. There was some push back from some community members on including to much of a commercial aspect in the plan, as it could create noise problems for the community.

In terms of the design of the development for transportation, it will feature a main connector road running through from Highway 16 to Third Avenue, which will provide two exit and entrance points, as well as access to both the downtown and residential parts of Burns Lake.

In terms of a timeline for construction to begin on the development, there’s a very long way to go. It will likely be decades before the project will be completed according to Melenks.