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This article was published 26/6/2015 (1914 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City hall has given the green light to a Habitat for Humanity housing project in the face of strong opposition from area residents.

A civic committee Thursday rejected the residents' argument the project didn't fit the neighbourhood.

"We're happy with the outcome -- it's exactly what we wanted," Sandy Hopkins, Habitat's CEO, said following the committee meeting.

'In five years, the residents will realize they were wrong' ‐ Sandy Hopkins, Habitat's CEO

More than 200 residents had signed a petition opposing Habitat's plans for a 16-lot infill project on a parcel of vacant land in the Deer Lodge neighbourhood.

Area resident Ryan Gagliardi said he was disappointed with the outcome, adding he hoped that Habitat would have compromised and built fewer homes.

"I'm not happy," Gagliardi said. "I thought the committee should have referred this back to consider different options."

The infill project is slated for Lyle Street, near Portage Avenue, on land the city still owns (the site of the old district 2 police station and before that, the former HQ of the old St. James-Assiniboia police department) but was sold conditionally to Habitat, pending rezoning and subdivision approvals from city hall.

The residents appealed a planning department decision to allow Habitat to build 16 narrow-lot homes on vacant land the residents believe should accommodate only 10 homes.

The residents want Habitat to build on the existing 50-foot-wide lots, to mimic the adjacent street.

Habitat bought the land from city hall in 2014 for $650,000, but the sale won't close until the dispute with the residents is resolved.

Habitat partners with low-income families that do not qualify for a traditional mortgage. Habitat homes are kept affordable with the help of volunteers who aid in the construction, and the organization requires prospective homeowners to contribute hundreds of hours of sweat equity.

Hopkins said Habitat's latest infill project is complicated, requiring it to demolish the old police station and install underground sewer and water services.

Hopkins said he doesn't expect house construction to start until 2017.

"In five years, the residents will realize they were wrong," Hopkins said. "The width of the lots shouldn't be a concern to them, and it won't make a difference."

The three-member committee voted unanimously to reject the residents' appeal. Couns. Jenny Gerbasi and Russ Wyatt said Habitat's project is a good fit for the older St. James neighbourhood.

The planning department said the infill project suits the neighbourhood and complies with current planning objectives for redevelopment in older neighbourhoods. Even though the proposed lots are narrower than those on an adjacent street, planning staff said they are comparable to some narrow lots on another nearby street.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca