Homeowner says city needs to improve communication around future developments

She enjoyed watching deer, birds and people enjoy the park through her window

“It was our serenity, it was our peace, it was a part of Medicine Hat that made Medicine Hat as beautiful as it is,” says Reed.

But now the portion of Gilwell Park behind her home has been replaced by an apartment complex and when Reed looks out her window all she sees is a three-storey wall.

Reed said it was shocking to return home from a winter vacation to see an active construction site behind her backyard.

“It’s hard to explain in words unless you are standing in the backyard looking up at a three-storey wall with a balcony that allows someone to look directly down into my yard,” explains Reed.

Reed says she had no previous knowledge the city was planning to rezone this area behind her home into medium-density residential over two years ago. That’s because the only communication the city used at that time was through an ad in the local newspaper. She did not see that ad and therefore couldn’t share her concerns with city council.

“Everybody that is backed up to this development, we all wish we would have had an option. We never had an option, we weren’t informed,” says Reed.

City manager Ann Mitchell and Coun. Shila Sharps agree with Reed’s concerns and say the city needs to do a better job.

“When I hear from the administration that we’ve done the minimum I just don’t think that’s good enough. I think we’ve got to be better partners in this city and we’ve got to realize that we are not City Hall and we have to be less bureaucratic,” says Mitchell.

“It’s really just showing a glaring ‘we could have done this better’ and I think everybody in the room recognized that,” says Sharps.

Council has heard similar concerns for other residents in the south end of the city.

Homeowners near Southland Boulevard SE sent a letter to council expressing concerns about future developments in the green space behind their homes.

The city says it’s looking at more options to provide homeowners with information around future developments including social media, websites and signs.

“So that’s a way that people in the neighbourhood if they missed a letter, if they missed a newspaper or social media they can actually see the sign. A physical, large sign that says this is something that’s coming,” adds Mitchell.

Reed says the miscommunication has been costly as her property value has decreased.

“We would have sold. That’s when our property was at a prime price, you walk out of our backyards into a beautiful park,” says Reed.

Reed hopes by sharing her concerns the city will change the way they communicate with residents and give more homeowners the opportunity to express their concerns around future developments.

by Brendan Miller

Homeowner says city needs to improve communication around future developments

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