A rezoning to allow up to 117 townhouses off of Shoal Way is set to go to public hearing.
At its Sept. 6 meeting, council passed second readings of Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw amendments to allow the three-phased strata development at 5981 Shoal Way and authorized a public hearing, which is to take place Sept. 28 at 5 p.m.
Since first reading last December, the proponent has removed a parkade from the development’s southern section and made all of the first phase’s 36 homes slab-on-grade rather than stacked townhomes.
Most construction access for the homes will be via Shoal Way, said a staff report on the meeting agenda, and construction traffic would not use Links Street in phases two and three.
The bylaw amendments would remove apartment use, adjust density to 58 units per hectare from 50 units per hectare, increase height to 14 metres and reduce lot coverage to 40 from 75 per cent.
The proponent is offering a community amenity contribution of discounting sale on six units, to be transferred to the Sunshine Coast Affordable Housing Society – or another such organization – for below-market rental housing. The council resolution requires the units be transferred at $80,000 less than confirmed market housing and the proponent invest $15,000 plus soft costs per unit to meet accessibility requirements. Or, if an agreement for such sales can’t be made, the proponent must pay $580,000, or an equivalent proportion of unsold units, in community amenity contributions (50 per cent at the phase one building permit stage, 25 per cent at each of phases two and three building permit stages). The staff report notes that no affordable units are planned in the first phase.
Before the rezoning is adopted, the proponent must confirm the development’s water demand reduction and conservation plans (which currently include a stormwater detention pond and drought-resistant landscaping).
Correction: an earlier version of this story said the proposal was for 34 units in the project's first phase. The project in fact proposes 36.
