A 89-unit apartment development is one step closer to coming into being as Sechelt council gave third reading at its June 5 regular meeting.
The Vidorra Developments project at 5700 East Porpoise Bay Road is composed of four buildings. The smallest of the four would be mixed between commercial and residential use, with the rest being a series of taller condo buildings with rental and for-purchase units.
The report states that 49 of the units are intended for sale and 40 will be used as market rental.
Ian Holl, Sechelt’s development planning manager, explained because of how close the development is to the highway, the application requires Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure approval after receiving third reading from council.
A public hearing was held on May 8, where a resident expressed concerns that six storeys may be too tall for the area, hoping to retain their “neighbourhood style.”
During the hearing, Holl said staff are looking at creating a new Comprehensive Development (CD8) zone to capture all the site-specific elements of this development, currently zoned as Residential Four Zone – Urban Infill (R4).
An Official Community Plan (OCP) amendment is also needed to increase the density to 149 units per hectare from 100 and change the floor area ratio (FAR) to 1.5 from 1.4.
Without further discussion, council gave the development third reading with Coun. Dianne McLauchlan opposed.
Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
