A councillor who voted against the building of a controversial condominium tower is concerned its approval will set a new precedent for similar projects in the future.
“The View” is a 23-storey development proposed for 99 Avenue and 111 Street in Oliver, and just a single part of the developer’s larger plans for a “Grandin City.”
The approval of rezoning and the development plan was before city councillors Monday night. An amendment of the Oliver Area Redevelopment Plan and an alley closure were also required.
After hours of debate, council voted 10-3 in favour of the project, despite objections by some councillors, city administration and neighbouring residents.
The tower will be built on two residential lots, and when finished, neighbour an existing hospital parkade and condominium building.
Council’s debate revolved around Oliver already being among the city’s densest areas, and the impact it would feel with the addition of a condo building.
“Grandin is a special place, and I feel very protective of it. It is really different than other parts of Oliver, really different than downtown. And I would say this tower does not fit well in that context,” Ward 6 Councillor Scott McKeen said Monday.
“You know, we do variances and we tweak, and we’ve approved things that are slightly bigger or slightly closer to lot lines. This is a huge leap,” he said of the rezoning application.
Calling the project an “overdevelopment” and later voting against it, McKeen said to council: “This isn’t tweaking. This isn’t a variance. This is a huge ask for us to stray from our plans and our planning principles.”
Councillors Sarah Hamilton and Ben Henderson also voted against it, but the project eventually received support from the city’s mayor.
Iveson said Tuesday he was very close to voting no: “Unless they’re right next to a parking garage, people shouldn’t run out tomorrow and buy a two-lot parcel, expecting to do this. This is very, very specific circumstances here that allowed me to—just on (the) narrowest criteria—vote yes for this.”
The design that sat before council Monday had undergone several modifications by developer Westrich Pacific Corp.
In 2017, the project was declined by councillors twice.
The approved version is smaller than the 29-storey design Westrich Pacific proposed last year. At the time, it was rejected over similar concerns the building was too large for the lot, and that it would block the view for residents to the south.
Iveson said there were several “mitigating considerations” that made the circumstances unique, including the future building’s orientation, proximity to the LRT, adjacent position to a parking garage, and amenities.
“I want to send a clear signal that this shouldn’t open up the door to every other two-lot parcel coming forward with a building of this size and configuration,” the mayor said.
But according to McKeen, “sometimes Council gets distracted by bells, and whistles, and shiny things.”
Westrich Pacific’s grand vision, however, includes more shiny things.
“What we wanna do is build a city within a city,” said Richie Lam, co-CEO. “Kinda like how ICE District has.”
The company plans to submit designs for council approval in the next six to 12 months for three more buildings. Their end goal is to create a “Grandin City.”
Lam said the three towers are planned for sites around the same size as that which will host “The View,” and will be of varying heights.
“This is all dependent, I believe, obviously getting approval from city council, as well as working with our neighbouring parcels.”
As for the current project, Iveson recognized the concern regarding “The View.”
“If we have several applications that the planning department can’t support but Council does over and over and over again, it’s going to be impossible for our planners to do that work.”
“The View’s” sales office will open October 20. The building will consist of 178 units, 11 of which are three-bedroom plants aimed at attracting families. Westrich Pacific plans to break ground in 2019, and have residents moving in by 2022.
