City of Powell River councillors denied a development variance permit that would have increased the allowable height of a proposed new home on Yew Kwum Place.
Councillors voted at the April 19 council meeting not to issue the permit after two neighbours of the proposed house said the increased height would negatively affect them.
Ken Campbell, who made the application for the permit, told council all lots in the subdivision had been granted a height variance except for Lot 11. “A decision to not allow for the variance would be inconsistent with past decisions,” he said.
The variance would increase the maximum building height from 8.5 metres to 10.7 metres. Campbell said approval of the application would allow for the construction of a home valued at over $600,000. It would generate tax revenue for the city, he said, and the house construction would add property value in the neighbourhood.
If the application were denied, Campbell said, he would be forced to build in a rural area outside of city boundaries. “Based on precedence and the fact that there are still undeveloped lots in this subdivision which have the variance for height, it would be totally unreasonable to not be permitted to build our home to the same height standard as every nearby neighbour,” he said.
Owners on either side of the lot, Mark Greenan and Bob Marquis, told council the added height would negatively impact them.
The vote to deny the permit was unanimous.
