A townhouse development proposed for Hillcrest Drive would mean a loss of privacy and daytime sun for other residents of the neighbourhood.

It would also destroy a part of the city's history, council heard Tuesday night.

Three residents spoke out against the townhouse plans coming forward by Kirn Dhillon after he addressed council, noting the benefits that could come with the energy-efficient homes.

A public hearing on the rezoning application that would allow for the townhouses isn't scheduled until next Monday's council meeting.

Dhillon told council members he wanted to present the plans and answer any questions last night as he'll be out of town when the hearing happens.

"We've been very open about this project from the outset,” he said.

He pointed to postings on the Hillcrest Community Association website, Facebook discussions and meetings of the community association as places where he's gotten his plans out.

Dhillon's family has been renting out the steelox duplexes (122 to 125 and 128 to 131 Hillcrest Dr.) it owns on Hillcrest Drive since they purchased them in the 1980s and retrofitted them over the years.

The buildings went up in the 1940s and 1950s as military housing.

"They are aging structures,” Dhillon said as he outlined his plans, which would see them come down in favour of new townhouse units.

As he pointed out, many issues cannot be addressed through renovations.

The new townhouses would be three levels high, including a basement, and be energy-efficient, Dhillon said. He stressed that detailed design work still has to be done, and the plans could change.

"We're at the conceptual stage now,” he said.

He noted he's presented the largest possible development that could be scaled back rather than starting out small and having it grow.

He said he wants to make sure the zoning is in place before proceeding to more detailed design work.

Dhillon also stressed the concept for the townhouses comes out of the city's Official Community Plan.

That document pushes for higher density and more sustainable development within existing neighbourhoods.

As council heard from Hillcrest residents who spoke out against them, the townhouses wouldn't fit in with the character of the neighbourhood, which is made up primarily of single-floor duplexes and stand-alone homes.

"This is about my neighbourhood,” Laura Markle told council.

The city would be setting a precedent which could alter the character of the neighbourhood by allowing the development to go ahead, she argued.

The townhouses would face her backyard on Dalton Trail, Markle said.

She questioned whether council members would choose to live in her one-storey home if a three-storey structure was towering above the back yard.

Markle also argued that not everyone uses Facebook or is a member of the community association, so may not be aware of the plans.

It was in June when she heard about the plans only because she went to an association meeting, she said.

Dhillon said the homes would be more of a "two-storey with a basement.”

Markle and Jim Gilpin, however, both argued the plans show the lowest level not going far into the ground, making the townhouses essentially three-storey structures.

Displaying diagrams that showcased the possible impact of shadows on the neighbourhood as well as the negative impacts on privacy, Gilpin argued the proposal is not appropriate for the area.

"Although it might now be appropriate to tear down some of the poorly maintained steelox, they should be replaced by a development that is suitable and complements the existing neighbourhood,” Gilpin said. He suggested one-storey structures would be more appropriate for the area.

He used condominiums on Thompson Road in Granger as an example of the type of townhouse development that would be a better fit for Hillcrest.

While the Dhillons may no longer wish to be landlords, Gilpin suggested, the properties could be sold "as is” for "at least $300,000 each,” still making the family a profit over what it would have paid in the 1980s.

A doubling of the density would be too much for the area, he argued.

Meanwhile, Frederick Robert, a resident of the Hillcrest neighbourhood for 16 years, told council the duplexes are one of the easiest types of home to renovate.

"They can be turned into very livable units,” he said.

Like Markle and Gilpin, Robert stressed he's "not opposed to development,” but that such a project would make more sense somewhere like Roundel Road, where there are similar developments.

With so many condos on the market now, Robert also wondered what would happen if the townhouses don't sell. He wondered if that would mean more rental units in the neighbourhood.

Later in the meeting, Porter Creek resident Cam Kos used the situation to again call for moratorium on rental units being sold as condominiums.

As was reported through this summer, the Sternwheeler townhouses in Riverdale will be sold as condos.

Residents are being given the first opportunity to purchase the units, but, as was reported earlier, many don't have the financing to buy their homes.

If this project goes ahead, another set of renters would be faced with finding new homes, Kos said.

As Dhillon told council earlier in the meeting, his family has other properties in town, and if they're available, the duplex renters would be given the opportunity to rent one of those homes.

"We could potentially end up with homeless people here,” Kos said, arguing that if someone purchases a rental property, he or she has a "civic duty” to rent it out.

If they no longer want to be landlords, he suggested, they can sell the property to someone who does.

Maybe this is the "kick in the pants” needed to come up with a policy preventing rental units from becoming condos, said Kos, who is a council candidate for the Oct. 18 election.

A meeting focused on this development as well as plans for the former tank farm site is planned for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Sport Yukon building at the south end of Fourth Avenue.

A public hearing on the rezoning will follow at next Monday's council meeting.

A report on the hearing will then be presented at the Sept. 17 meeting, with second and third readings of the rezoning bylaw expected to come forward on Sept. 24.