Prescott needs new housing, but the green space behind Town Hall isn’t the place to build it, says resident Luie Zelayeta.
Zelayeta is organizing a rally in the land behind Town Hall later this month advocating for the town to formally declare that land as a park.
Currently, the town plans to sell it as a surplus to housing developers.
Zelayeta says many residents have used that land as a park for decades, and they want to make sure it stays available for future residents to enjoy it the way they have.
“Please listen to people that live in the area and appreciate this green space for what it is,” he says. “Do a full-on study on the possibilities of a park before you sell it away.”
Zelayeta says he hopes residents, members of council and Mayor Gauri Shankar all attend the rally.
“I’m hoping people can come and at least have a conversation about it,” he says. “Whether you’re for it or against it, at least we could have a conversation for it, because there’s a lot of reasons why it would be great for development, and there’s a lot of great reasons why it would be great for a park.”
When contacted for comment, Mayor Shankar said it was the first time he had heard of the rally, and that he hadn’t been invited.
“I don’t think a rally is a good venue for conversations to occur,” Shankar added. “We have a process where the public have attended meetings, provided delegations and are able to send their opinions to council.”
The rally is happening behind Town Hall next Saturday, January 13th, starting at 10:00 AM.