A new apartment building was approved by council Tuesday night.
Council endorsed, without any hesitation, a proposed 4-unit rental apartment complex at 680 2nd Avenue.
The site is hidden away from the street, and tucked in behind residential homes along McPhedran Road to the west and behind the Dogwood Street commercial plaza to the east. The apartment building would be located behind Fusilli Grill and neighbouring businesses.
The building itself would not be built along the road but the complex would be accessed via a strip of land that stretches from 2nd Avenue into the apartment complex and which would be used as a driveway and a walkway.
“The applicant has revised the scheme to show a clearly-delineated pedestrian walkway connecting the sidewalk to the closest part of the main building, which then links to the front door,” said Chris Osborne, the city’s planner.
“This same walkway would be used to access an ancillary storage locker building and garbage/recycling enclosure.”
Osborne noted the building would be surrounded by a large expanse of parking, but the applicant, Ben Kunz, on behalf of Tri Shur Holdings Ltd., has made considerable efforts to break up the parking areas with pods of landscaping.
Coun. Ron Kerr was happy to see Kunz get involved in another project in Campbell River.
“It’s good to see Ben doing another project,” Kerr said. “He’s done some of the best projects in Campbell River that I’m familiar with.”
Kerr was also impressed that Kunz took on a project on a difficult piece of land.
“The project is land-locked – I applaud you for taking a property like that and doing a project,” Kerr added.
While the apartment building itself will not be readily visible from the street, the entranceway on 2nd Avenue will be.
Osborne said the applicant is proposing to landscape that area with Japanese maples, and to line both sides of the driveway/sidewalk with mountain ash trees.
“The overall effect of landscaping in the wide panhandle would be to create a sense of entry and effectively screen parking and buildings,” Osborne said.