Steinbach city council has denied a zoning change for a home at 80 Brandt Street at Woodhaven Avenue. The owners applied to change the property from residential to C-2 commercial so that enVision Community Living could buy it and convert it into offices to complement its office space across the street. Many neighbours showed up at city hall Tuesday to oppose the change such as Lisa Gretsinger of Autumnwood Street.

"enVision has been a good neighbour but I do believe that rezoning the property at 80 Brandt will open the gate to future rezoning along the whole block and I don't want this in my backyard."

Bob Frey made similar remarks, agreeing that their issue is not with enVision.

"We all agree with their stellar reputation. I can't imagine why we'd want to object to that. It's just that I think C-2 is far too broad. It opens up, not for them, for other properties and developers, it certainly does open up other questions and possibilities."

City councillor Jac Siemens says the neighbours made a strong case and so he moved to deny the change.

"We heard from the neighbours. That was good and there was lots of discussion during the week leading up to this meeting as well. I met with a few of them as well. The first issue here was about a change to our Community Plan. To make that decision on our Community Plan at one meeting, that's not the place that we need to make that decision. The Community Plan needs to be a long process where we take all things into account and that's why I made the motion to deny it at this point."

City council was unanimous in rejecting the change.

The city will do a complete review of its Official Community Plan in 2018 including input from residents on any possible changes.

In its presentation to the meeting, enVision stated that it wanted to renovate the house at 80 Brandt into offices but then, within three to five years, would build a new office complex there.