An online petition has been started by a Rutland resident in hopes of sa国际传媒渃onducting an investigation as to how the Kelowna city council passedsa国际传媒� a project for supportive housing on McCurdy Road.

The petition was started on June 19 and already has around 600 signatures.

sa国际传媒淩utland is becoming saturated with sa国际传媒榳etsa国际传媒� supportive housing facilities. The current proposal on McCurdy and Rutland Road is in close proximity to three schools. As a community, we feel it is wrong to expect us to be the only citizens to try and solve a citywide problem,sa国际传媒� Daryl Kitsul, creator of the petition, wrote on his petition.

The four-storey, 49-unit building at 130 McCurdy Road is supposed to provide housing for youth between the ages of 19 and 24 and other individuals experiencing homelessness and at the moment, construction is planned to begin this summer.

sa国际传媒淭he city council has passed this project without proper public consultation, and without any regard for the well being of our children and youth,sa国际传媒� Kitsul wrote.

sa国际传媒淗aving the potential increase in crime, drug use and/or discarded drug paraphernalia is the wrong thing to subject our vulnerable population to. Making our children and youth uncomfortable with a simple walk to school or playing in their parks is a part of childhood stripped away,sa国际传媒� he wrote.

sa国际传媒淭his project must be stopped immediately until proper research and public consultation can take place.sa国际传媒�

READ MORE: McCurdy project in Rutland gets go-ahead from Kelowna councillors

READ MORE: McCurdy Road supportive housing could break ground this summer

Concern has also been expressed by city council and the provincial government.

sa国际传媒淲e approve land use, not tenancy,sa国际传媒� Coun. Loyal Wooldridge said. sa国际传媒淏ut I do want to acknowledge the concern in the community, for sure.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淗ousing First is a part of our solution to end homelessness in Kelowna and we have to make these courageous decisions and Isa国际传媒檓 very confident the service providers operating the site will do so in a respectful manner for the neighbourhood,sa国际传媒� he said.

Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick has asked Housing Minister Selina Robinson to sa国际传媒減ausesa国际传媒� the project until other project-related issues in the Rutland community are resolved.

A public information meeting will be held regarding the BC Housing plan on June 26 at Rutland Centennial Hall at 5:30 p.m.

michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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