A waterfront condo project was given the green light at the Oct. 4 Gibsons council meeting.
Councillors voted in favour, with the exception of Coun. LeeAnn Johnson, to approve a development variance permit (DVP) for the Seaglass project on Marine Drive.
With the variance, the development will be slightly higher than was originally approved in the designs.
The project first received council approval in 2006, but construction has yet to start. The project is a 10-unit apartment building with 93 sq m of commercial space at 458 Marine Drive. The project developers went back to the Town in September seeking to increase the overall height by just under one metre to help accommodate a car elevator for the internal parking garage.
In presenting the developers' case to council to approve the DVP, municipal planner Michael Epp said none of the Town's development permit area guidelines have changed since the application was originally received and that the proposal has been deemed consistent with the guidelines.
"No written submissions were received opposing the issuance of the height variance," said Epp in his report to council. "One piece of correspondence expressing concern about the development generally and a petition with 12 signatures expressing support for the variance were received."
In voting against the variance, Johnson said she didn't feel the project was right for the area adding that there had already been one height variance approved.
"Increasing it again is going to produce a building that is out of scale with adjacent properties and impinge for future redevelopment potential of adjacent properties," Johnson said.
Construction is expected to begin in 2012.
