The owner of an empty lot on the corner of Niluht Road and Alder Street wants to build a housing complex on property that borders the new École Mer-et-montagne school.
Steve Lindsay, at the July 22 council meeting, said he intends to build a strata complex and asked council to rezone the .71 hectare property to accommodate single family residential homes.
“The rezoning application is for 14 strata residential units, primarily geared towards an older population,” Lindsay said. “The average size would be 1,500 square feet, so fairly modest. We want to create a series of houses that take advantage of the views.”
Lindsay said he intends to stagger the units so that every home has a view. The property on which the homes will be built is divided by a cement walkway and bike path that connects Niluht to the field behind École Mer-et-montagne.
Lindsay said he has come to an agreement with B.C.’s Conseil scolaire francophone to remove that walkway which joins the two properties.
Chris Osborne, the city’s planner, said city staff are supportive of the building application and feel it meets the criteria of the city’s official community plan (OCP).
“The proposed zoning amendment would be consistent with the OCP and would likely not have any significant adverse impact on neighbouring properties,” Osborne wrote in a report to council.
Lindsay himself told council the development is in line with council’s objective of encouraging infill in residential neighbourhoods. Osborne said Lindsay’s building plans strike “a reasonable balance between making effective use of land, and maintaining an appropriate character and density for the South Alder neighbourhood.”
The site is not subject to any environmental requirements.
Planners for the development, however, have indicated that they will try to retain as many of the trees as possible and incorporate them into the landscaping surrounding the strata complex. Council in the end approved first and second reading of the zoning amendment application, however, the development will still have to go to a public hearing at city hall in two weeks.