City council is being asked to rezone a large piece of commercial property in Copper Ridge to allow for a housing project.

Developer Patrick McLarnon of Maxavier Real Estate is proposing to build 16 townhouse units for seniors at the corner of Keewenaw and North Star drives, instead of a mix of commercial and residential space, according to a city administrative report.

Currently, the property allows for commercial space on the ground floor with residential accommodations on the second storey.

City council approved first reading of the required zoning amendment late last month.

But Coun. Ranj Pillai, who lives four or five doors from the vacant lot which sits next to a playground, suggested in an interview this week there are issues to be addressed.

A public hearing is scheduled for June 27, with the findings to be reported back to council July 4. Second and third readings of the amendment are scheduled for July 11.

Information put before council by city staff indicates commercial space is included in neighbourhood planning to create a holistic approach to development.

Residents should be able to walk no more than five minutes or 300 metres to their nearest neighbourhood corner store or coffee shop, says the revised Official Community Plan adopted in 2008.

Allowing McLarnon's development to proceed would put the closest commercial property at the Granger Mall, some 1.2 kilometres from the site at Keewenaw and North Star, council was informed.

It was pointed out to council, however, that the commercial property has been available since 2005 but did not attract any commercial interest until McLarnon bought it over the counter for $165,000 from the Yukon government in December 2009.

The local contractor gained title last month to the property, after fulfilling the requirements of the agreement for sale. The lot measures just over one-third of a hectare, or a fraction less than an acre.

Pillai said he's had a few phone calls expressing concerns and different points of view, though he'll wait to see what comes from the public review process to make up his mind on the matter.

Other developers, for instance, may have bid on the property if they'd known of the opportunity to change it from commercial-residential to entirely residential, Pillai said.

He also pointed out neighbourhoods need something of a corner store as a central focus; a place where neighbours bump into buddies, or a place for kids to walk or bike to.

The current zoning, for instance, allows for a day-care on the ground floor with a residence above, Pillai pointed out.

He said the neighbourhood desperately needs a commercial day-care, as there's not one in the entire Copper Ridge subdivision.

Furthermore, it might be a stretch to describe this as a housing project for seniors, the city councillor said.

With the proposed single-storey design, Pillai said , it's certainly well suited for the senior clientele.

More than likely, however, whoever puts up the money first will get the townhouse unit, senior or no senior, he suggested.