Increased density, parking and traffic were among the concerns neighbours of a proposed Mills Road housing development voiced at a Nov. 24 public hearing.
The District of Sechelt hearing was for a rezoning needed to proceed with the 34-unit townhome development – nine of those units include options for secondary suites.
Westcor Lands is proposing to build what it introduced to Sechelt Council as its “attainable housing” development on a one-hectare parcel on Mills, between Christian and Bligh Roads. The land is currently zoned for up to 11 single family homes. By putting a higher number of homes on the property, Westcor spokesperson Bruce Mason told Coast Reporter in an interview in October that the proposal could help fill a gap identified in the Coast’s Nov. 2020 housing needs assessment report for smaller, less costly housing options.
The online public hearing had Sechelt Council members, the developer, municipal staff and at least a dozen members of the public in attendance.
Eight residents who live close to the proposed development spoke at the one-hour hearing. Their concerns related to the increased number of homes and new residents being added by this and other development proposals in their area. Several said that they were not “anti-development” but believed that the proposed density was not a good fit for that site, given the lack of amenities and the already established single family residential neighbourhoods nearby.
They identified that having 75 onsite parking units for what could be up to 43 separate homes, as proposed, was inadequate and would force parking onto the surrounding streets. Concerns regarding increased traffic, noise, school populations and crime potential from the development for residents of the existing neighbourhood were also raised.
Mason spoke at the hearing, highlighting that a traffic study has been prepared for the project that will see the widening and redevelopment of Mills Road to help address many of the traffic concerns raised. Project architect Nicholas Waissbluth noted that the site would be landscaped maintaining many existing trees and adding new ones along with walking paths to connect the property with the neighbourhood. “We’re not just landing buildings on a big empty lot,” Waissbluth said.
The proposal received verbal support from the Sechelt and District Chamber of Commerce and another speaker at the event.
“We need to change the way we live… The solution to maintaining our standard of living is density,” chamber president John Henderson told the hearing.
In 2020, Westcor applied to locate 44 townhomes on the site. It withdrew that submission in favour of the current application after conducting initial public information meetings in the community.
The verbal and written submissions received up to the close of the hearing are slated to be compiled into a staff report for consideration at an upcoming Council meeting.
