It was the site of a large arson fire, the subject of a lengthy lawsuit, and the centre of a lot of public debate.
Now, planning is underway for the future of the Kin Race Track site in Vernon, B.C.
The city plans to create a new “flagship” park on the 32-acre property next to Kal Tire Place arena.
Vernon is asking for public input on how the new Kin Race Track Park should look.
Council has already asked for the park plans to include outdoor skating, a dog park, trails, sports fields, and, space for affordable housing.
The plan to include affordable housing in the park is generating a lot of public discussion with some wanting to see more affordable housing in the plan, due to the shortage of reasonably priced housing options in the city.
Others don’t think it’s the right site for affordable housing development and think the Kin Race Track site should focus on recreation.
Cordell said affordable housing is generally a priority for the city because many people have reported struggling with housing in the city.
“Affordable housing can be anything on a…spectrum of kinds of housing,” said Cordell.
“I think having more eyes on the park will bring more safety. it will give people in those housing units the ability to enjoy the park.”
The redevelopment of the site comes after a long saga that included the grandstand on the property being burnt down by serial arsonists in the summer of 2014.
The city is now free to go ahead with the redevelopment after winning a lengthy legal battle over the future of the property.
A community group had been fighting in court to keep the space for horse racing.
So some are disappointed that the site is being redeveloped at all and would like the future park to include horses in some way.
The city currently has a $16-million budget for the project, that would not require any additional taxation.
If a pricier design is picked, the work would need to be phased in.
“We can certainly do some elements of the park, and quite a nice park, for $16 million. Can we do really sophisticated facilities everywhere? Maybe not,” Cordell said.
“We definitely can put in a skating trail, some dog walking areas, and some of the things that we know people want out there. We just may have to phase in some of the later development.”
The city is collecting public input on the new development till mid-December and could start construction as early as September 2022.
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