Neighbours say they are concerned about the city鈥檚 plan to move the Connect Centre to Braidwood Road.

A group of neighbours to the proposed project in east Courtenay have banded together to voice concerns about the Connect Centre homelessness shelter moving to 925 Braidwood Road. In an interview with the Record, resident Scott Larsen said he鈥檚 organizing with a group of six neighbours.

鈥淲e feel the process is going ahead without consulting the neighbourhood,鈥� said Larsen. 鈥淥ur number-one issue is a lack of information.鈥�

After BC Housing this month announced it purchased 925 Braidwood Road for a supportive housing facility and a homeless shelter, Larsen said he was surprised. Like several neighbours who have spoken with the Record, he said he鈥檚 fine with the supportive housing proposal but worries about the Connect Centre moving next door.

鈥淚f you go by the Connect now, our question is if it鈥檚 going to look like that?鈥� he said. 鈥淭he city is going to have a really big pushback from the neighbourhood if that鈥檚 what it鈥檚 going to look like.鈥�

Larsen told the Record he met with acting mayor Melanie McCollum and city manager Geoff Garbutt on April 23 to field some questions 鈥� and learned the plans for the new project would not look at all like the atmosphere witnessed for the past few years at 685 Cliffe Ave.

This would be due to the 鈥減urpose-built鈥� nature of construction, he heard. As the intent to manage a shelter would be built into construction from day one, the new facility would include features that are not being used at the Connect Centre on Cliffe Avenue.

This could include details as specific as landscaping, council heard on April 10. Vancouver Island director of regional development at BC Housing Sarah Smith in an update to council noted even landscaping efforts could be included to segregate the property and minimize community impacts.

RELATED: Update on BC Housing facility proposed at Braidwood Road

The current property at 685 Cliffe Ave. is an old commercial building. Just a few feet from Cliffe Avenue, it does not make use of such purpose-built features.

Another neighbour, Eroca Lynden-Burch, met with the Record on April 19 in a group of eight neighbours. Directly across the street from the proposed Braidwood property, Lynden-Burch also worried that commotion due to the shelter would run-off into the neighbourhood.

鈥淲here are they going to go鈥� if people cannot use drugs inside the new facility? 鈥淭hey are going to go into the neighbourhood鈥� she said. She added that the nature of shelters means people are continuously coming and going.

In the same group of eight residents, neighbour Paul Locke shared similar concerns. He wondered: with only 40 shelter spaces and 60 supportive housing spaces, and more than 270 homeless people in Comox Valley, will the property see people sheltering outside?

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got 3.1 acres here,鈥� said Locke of the grassy property. 鈥淭hat can hold a lot of tents.鈥�

Locke cited Coun. Doug Hillian at council鈥檚 meeting on April 10 as saying the Connect Centre has to turn away people every night. If it moves near the residential neighbourhood and begins turning people away, that could have big impacts on the community.

In a statement to the Record, BC Housing noted that the proposed shelter would include built-in security. The non-profit chosen to run the facility, which has not been decided yet, would be responsible for managing the shelter and the area around the property.

The statement also wrote that BC Housing plans to reach out to local businesses and neighbours to share more information this spring. The communication is planned to take place ahead of rezoning the property.

Larsen told the Record he and other neighbours are forming a group and may hold a press conference to share their views. He did not specify a date. Another neighbour told the Record she was also organizing a committee-type group to give voice to the neighbourhood about the proposal.

鈥淚f they鈥檙e not going to bring the meeting to us, let鈥檚 bring the meeting to them,鈥� said neighbour Barbara Bird. She complained of not being alerted that the project was being considered until the property was bought.

All neighbours who spoke to the Record said they learned of the proposal through social media or the news.

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