A proposed land swap that would have allowed construction of a new and expanded Duncan Manor has been rejected by Duncan council members who did not want to lose part of Centennial Park.
Council agreed instead to help the Duncan Housing Society find another location for a new building to replace the aging facility at 200 First St., which needs extensive repairs and upgrades.
The society provides housing to seniors and people with disabilities.
The municipality and the society had signed a memorandum at the start of this year to explore the idea of trading land so the society could build a new facility on adjacent parking lots owned by Duncan. The society would have swapped a chunk of land it owns that is used for lawn bowling.
A new access into Centennial Park would have been created and some of the parking would have been moved into a green space in the park.
Many Duncan residents balked at the idea, saying they didn’t want the multi-use park touched. Resident Barry Corrin told council the move would result in a net loss of park space.
Corrin said there are other suitable locations in Duncan.
Resident Mark Anderson called the proposal a “bad deal” and asked council to keep the park as it is. He said the society’s planned six-storey facility next to the park would be out of scale with the neighbourhood.
Coun. Garry Bruce said the park must be preserved. “I think the whole neighbourhood needs more park, not less.”
The society has said that it has so far failed to find a suitable site to build a new facility.
Duncan Manor has 122 units in its three-storey building. The society was hoping to construct a new facility with 131 units. It also aimed to build a second six-storey building on the same site, once current residents had been relocated into the new facility.
