A proposal to build 16 units of seniors' housing in Copper Ridge is facing criticism from the community.

Developer Patrick McLarnon of Maxavier Real Estate wants to build 16 townhouse units for seniors on the 3,500 square-metre lot at the corner of Keewenaw and North Star drives.

The property is currently zoned for commercial and residential space. That means there can be commercial space on the ground floor with residential units on the second storey.

However, McLarnon is currently seeking comprehensive neighbourhood commercial zoning so residential units can be built on the first storey and geared toward people with mobility issues.

"Everything I've built in the last little while has stairs, and people have commented that this population is getting older and I'm missing out on a piece of the market,” McLarnon said at a public hearing about the rezoning at a city council meeting on Monday night.

Several neighbourhood residents expressed concerns over the rezoning and planned development at the meeting, however.

"My concern is that there are a lot of young families that neighbour Valerie, Keewenaw and North Star, and it's already a fairly busy area of town,” said area resident Andrew Byers.

"Whether the proposal's for elderly or low-income housing, it doesn't matter that much to me. It's the density issue. That's a lot of people moving into a small area and it's already busy.”

With a playground next to the currently vacant lot, a large increase in the number of vehicles in the area brings a concern about the safety of children for some residents.

Julie and Sean Hopkins, who live next to the playground, are worried the construction of the new development will bring the same issues to their property that the construction of the playground did.

"Our concerns now are that, with a new subdivision going in, we, quite frankly, don't want another two years of garbage on our property,” Sean said at the public hearing.

Whether seniors will be the actual occupants of the units is another concern for some residents.

"I've seen these developments change quickly from ownership to rentals,” said Bob Johnson, whose front window looks out onto the lot.

"I see this as a high-profit scheme for a developer.”

Branding the development as seniors' housing "tugs on the heartstrings a bit,” Johnson said.

Others are concerned the units are being called seniors' housing in order to get around some building regulations.

"When I hear people proposing seniors' housing, I don't actually see them building housing for seniors,” neighbourhood resident Chris Thomas said at the hearing.

"I think they're actually trying to exploit some loopholes to limit the amount of parking spaces they have to have so they can build more units with less parking.”

Coun. Ranj Pillai, who lives in the neighbourhood, asked McLarnon what process he would put in place to ensure the units are inhabited by seniors. He noted he would like to see some sort of commercial space incorporated into the development.

"It would be nice to see some sort of commercial space where some sense of community could happen,”Pillai said, adding that the area desperately needs a day care.

McLarnon said he would not limit sales exclusively to seniors.

"I'm not saying I'm going to sell exclusively to seniors,” he said. "I'm just trying to pick up a piece of the market that I haven't been building for.

"There's no reason why three doctors, a dentist, a nurse and a hair dresser can't buy individual units.”

Pillai indicated that he would like to start a dialogue with McLarnon about possibilities for the development. Other councillors, however, said the public sphere is an inappropriate place to do so, and asked Pillai to contact McLarnon privately.

Council received seven submissions regarding the Kewenaw development. Four were opposed and three had concerns.

The hearing's findings will be reported back to council on July 4.