Developers for a residential and commercial building on the waterfront finally have the key to proceed.
The Quay West project is set to be located on Marine Avenue, beside the fuel tanks, on the harbourfront bordering the seawalk. At City of Powell River’s council meeting Thursday, July 3, CaroleAnn Leishman, a representative from Agius Builders, consultants and designers for the Quay West development project, outlined the frustrations encountered by the project’s proponents and the developers.
Leishman said Agius Builders has been working with the clients, eight local couples, on the development permit application for more than four years. All are long-term residents of Powell River.
She said the residents purchased the property several years ago and want to build an eight-unit, multi-family residence with a commercial component on the seawalk level. Each would have a home overlooking the south harbour.
She said the group has worked with several different city planners over the past four years in an effort to achieve a project that meets the strategic priorities of the city for harbourfront development.
“We have been asked by all of the different planners to meet different and frequently contradictory requirements,” Leishman said. “This development has been carefully planned according to the official community plan and strategic priorities of the city since day one. After we’ve made many changes to accommodate different planners over the years, we are now told that the current director of planning services is recommending to council to deny the application.”
Leishman said the development would be an improvement to the current state of the waterfront. She said the building across the street is higher than the Quay West development for those concerned about sightlines. She said, however, the building’s proposed height is above the proposed maximum permitted in the zone. The building has been pushed down on the property as much as possible and a flat roof has been chosen to keep the height down.
Leishman said parking is also an issue. There are 13 spaces with the current design and 14 are required according to the bylaw requirements.
The owners held a public meeting of their own accord and area residents attended, Leishman said. “There was some concern that people would lose their views, but overall, it was a positive meeting and there was consensus that structure would improve the harbourfront,” she said.
Denying the project would not be in the best interests of Powell River, according to Leishman.
“Denying the application would contradict the need for development in Powell River, denying much-needed jobs and a boost to the economy, not to mention a much-needed boost to the tax base,” she said. “Reasons for denying were setbacks, height and parking requirements, all of which we were told, if we would just redesign the building again, then those allotments would be fine.” Leishman said it was not possible without starting over from scratch.
Mayor Dave Formosa asked if the proponents had discussions with the fire chief to determine any concerns about building height.
Bob Seeley, representative for the Quay West group, said two years ago there were discussions about firefighting and accessibility. He said the fire department did not express concern. The proposed structure will be designed with a full sprinkler system and a fire department connection in the parking lot.
Seeley said Powell River offers an unsurpassed quality of life but the community has not been able to diversify economically, to attract new investment, and to adequately keep up with housing demands for an aging population.
He said the proponents of Quay West are prepared to invest their life savings in a residential project that they hope will add vibrancy to the waterfront and provide a new example of locally owned multi-unit construction to catalyze more new development.
Seeley said development will contribute $35,000 to $40,000 annually to the tax base.
“We have hired local designers and construction firms to guide us through the development and we are excited to finally have the opportunity to see this project to the next stage.”
Seeley said over the four and a half years since the inception of this project, he has been frustrated by the inconsistency and apparent lack of cohesive vision. “At every juncture our group has attempted to respond to planning concerns in a timely manner in order to align the project with community economic development objectives,” he said.
“Response from the planning department, through three different planners, has been slow, unclear, and at many times appears to be causing confusion around the ultimate expectation of management and council,” he added. “While this is particularly concerning to us for our development project, in the bigger picture, it is a shame to see such a lack of clarity. Prospective investors need timeliness and certainty in order to take on the financial and operational risk of new projects.”
Seeley said he was optimistic council would see the merits of the project and understand that the potential benefits of a vibrant new project outweigh the concerns. “I also hope my comments raise awareness of the broader concerns around the community’s economic development process.”
Council nixes motion to deny development
At the City of Powell River council meeting Thursday, July 3, elected officials voted against a recommendation to deny a rezoning application to Quay West Marine Developments Ltd.
That means the developers can proceed with attempting to have the property rezoned.
All of council except for Councillor Maggie Hathaway, voted against the recommendation that reads: That the Quay West Marine Development Ltd. application for rezoning from Waterfront Commercial (W1) to Mixed Use (MX) and development permit application for the development of a residential/commercial building on the vacant land adjacent to the seawalk, across from 4404 Marine Avenue, be denied.
Prior to the vote, Councillor Chris McNaughton said the proposal was an excellent development on the waterfront for the community.
Councillor Myrna Leishman said she would be voting in opposition of the motion.
“For all of the years I’ve been on council, one of the big issues has been we are open for business,” she said. “We have been criticized so much for that over the years. This certainly is an unfortunate example that a developer has had to take four years to do a project. There is really nothing technically wrong with the project.”
Mayor Dave Formosa said there are some zoning issues with the project that are technical.
Councillor Jim Palm had some concerns with some of the stipulations not meeting city bylaws. The height of the structure, which is taller from the seawalk side than allowable under city bylaws, was one concern.
Hathaway said her concern was when making height exceptions to a project such as this, where does it end?
“The next guy comes along and buys a couple of lots on Willingdon and says he wants to build a five-storey apartment building, and eventually you have a ton of them along the waterfront,” she said. “That’s my concern. We wrote a bylaw and you make exceptions to it. Eventually we end up with what we don’t want.”
Councillor Russell Brewer said the benefit of the project probably outweighs the inconsistencies. He then asked about the effect of approving the development variance permit, as requested by the developer, and if it would require a subsequent development permit.
Carlos Felip, director of planning services, said if council said yes at the meeting they were saying they are happy with the current design and land use.
Marie Claxton, city clerk, said the applicants were also requesting a rezoning. She said if council defeated the motion, there would still be a rezoning process required for the development. She said a draft zoning bylaw would be required to request the development, and there would then be a public process for rezoning.
Formosa said what was being requested was an application for rezoning to allow the development.
He said being a developer, he can sympathize with the proponents. He said anytime someone wants to do something on the waterfront, it is not an easy process. Another difficulty is that the proponents have dealt with three city planners since the project’s inception. He said that because of the time it has taken to seek approval, costs have risen, and for that he apologized.
He thought the issue of height could be dealt with in the rezoning process.
“We need this thing to move forward,” he said. “For a council that prides itself on being progressive business-focused, I’m a bit embarrassed.”
