Audra Boudreau had her work cut out for her on Thursday, as she tallied up petition signatures of Kelowna residents opposed to a supportive housing project slated for McCurdy Road.

She said she believes they will meet their 13,000-signature goal.

The petition organizer, alongside volunteers, have gone door-to-door collecting signatures and even hosted a drive-thru signing at Rutland Secondary School.

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But will that be enough to convince council to bring the controversial project back to the table?

What city councillors can do and what the implications of their actions are, are two different questions, Kelowna city clerk Stephen Fleming said.

Fleming said a 30-day reconsideration mechanism is outlined in both the community charter and in the council procedure bylaw, meaning the mayor can bring back an item that had previously been approved, including the McCurdy housing project.

In the case of the McCurdy supportive housing project, the rezoning of the land received a third reading in and the this year, before councillors voted sa国际传媒測essa国际传媒� on the form and character of the project and issued a development permit.

The says a matter brought forward for reconsideration must be done at the time of, or within one month of a council decision. And under the conditions of the , if the original decision was the adoption of a bylawsa国际传媒攕uch as a land rezoningsa国际传媒攁nd that decision is rejected on reconsideration, the bylaw is deemed to be repealed.

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sa国际传媒淏ut in this hypothetical case for McCurdy, itsa国际传媒檚 not as straight forward,sa国际传媒� Fleming said. sa国际传媒淐ould you reconsider this? Yes. But what are the implications of that.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 not just vote again and get a different answer,sa国际传媒� he said.

Implications considered by councillors, Fleming said, could include financial impacts on the applicant or builder and if the project has already been started.

sa国际传媒淭o un-adopt a bylaw, wesa国际传媒檇 have to introduce something that says, sa国际传媒榟ey, this is the wrong zone, it should be something elsesa国际传媒� and change the future land use map to what it was originally, or some other zone,sa国际传媒� Fleming said. sa国际传媒淏ecause it is an adopted bylaw, you cansa国际传媒檛 just un-adopt it like a resolution.sa国际传媒�

Council may also consider what is best for the community as a whole.

Fleming said one side affected by the project sa国际传媒渨ould be pleased,sa国际传媒� referring to the community of Rutland, but what would that look like for those who are supporters of the project? sa国际传媒淲hat message does that send?sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淪tuff an elected official must consider; can you do something? Should you do something? The answer is not always the same,sa国际传媒� he said.

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Caitlin.clow@kelownacapnews.com
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