City of Powell River committee of the whole reaction was mixed to proposed designs for a new Canadian Coast Guard station in the South Harbour.
Despite recommending city council endorse its design in principle, the committee asked for changes to the proposed station to make it fit better with its waterfront development vision.
City director of planning Thomas Knight said that while the design for the building has come a long way during the past year, “it is not quite there.”
Of concern is the prefabricated building’s roof, he said. “It still does not have the pop,” said Knight.
It is really important for the first building city visitors experience to have strong character, he said, adding “it says a lot about the community.”
Councillor CaroleAnn Leishman told the committee she could see where improvements to the overhang of the roof could be made, but she felt that the building’s exterior met the city’s standard. She said she did not want the city to hold the project up further.
“It’s a nice tie-in without exactly replicating the wharfinger building,” said Leishman. The building will be a similar colour to the existing wharfinger building.
The proposed station’s location is next to the old barge terminal adjacent to the South Harbour. It is zoned mixed-use commercial/residential and is inside a development permit area, created to strengthen waterfront tourist appeal.
Mayor Dave Formosa said he had hoped for more from the Canadian Coast Guard’s proposed facility. Formosa said he will support the building, but its appearance does not work for him.
“It looks like a house on Joyce Avenue,” he said. “It’s not very nautical looking. It’s nice, but it doesn’t do it for me.”
Councillor Russell Brewer said his reservations come from the lack of curvature in the roof.
In the first version of the designs, the building had a flat roof and was painted white and red.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada project engineer Don Storry said he understands the committee’s concerns. He said designers have tried to incorporate elements from other Powell River waterfront buildings into their design, but there are limitations to what can be done with prefabricated buildings.
“If the federal government does not own the land they won’t build a permanent structure on it,” said Storry. “They have to be able to take it away and put it somewhere else if the lease comes up and they don’t like the terms of the agreement.”
Knight said the building will set the standard for other development projects at the old barge terminal land.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada plans to start construction by next summer.
