The land just west of the Clearspring Centre off Park Road West may soon be turned into a large commercial and residential development.

On Tuesday, Steinbach City Council gave first reading to a bylaw that would see the 67 acres rezoned for a variety of purposes. Mayor Earl Funk notes this is a significant potential development in the city.

This maps shows the various proposed zonings"Usually, a developer will develop in phases but this developer is rezoning everything and he has a plan for all at one time. There are so many different zonings that they are looking at, even public reserve, single-family dwellings, RLD (Residential Low Density), high density, medium density, commercial corridor. This is going to be 67 acres of mixed-use."

In the proposal given to council, the owner of the land, Penn-co Construction Holdings, also included a map that shows land set aside for future park space along the creek behind Ledingham GM.

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra moved to give the rezoning bylaw first reading.

"I am certainly looking forward to the public hearing to hear from the applicant and get more information about this but it is always exciting to see potential new developments happening within our city."

Funk says this is a great spot for residential development as so many amenities are right next door.

"I think this is going to be great for the area. With a commercial corridor on Park Road, there are going to be built-in residents that are going to be customers right behind it. It's a very smart idea. I do see this becoming a nice walkable area and families will move in and they will have instant shopping, instant businesses to work at."

Council approved first reading.

In addition, council also gave first reading to a bylaw that would see the community plan changed to allow for this development. Public hearings will be scheduled for both bylaws giving the developer and area residents a chance to make their case to city council.

The 67 acres is currently zone Development Reserve