Revelstoke City Council has approved the development of a first-of-its-kind apartment building downtown, however, the building has caused concerns for a number of residents.
The apartment complex, to be located at 1219 Victoria Rd., includes underground parking with wiring for charging stations, bicycle storage, a rooftop garden and patio, and landscaping around the perimeter.
Council approved a variance to the zoning bylaw to let the building exceed the maximum allowed height of 10.5m to its proposed 18m height and approved to increase the maximum lot coverage from 50 per cent to 66 per cent. They also approved reducing the minimum of 36 off-street parking spaces to 24 spaces.
The more than 70 per cent increase in allowed maximum height was a concern for a number of residents who made public comments to council as the proposed building will be one of the tallest buildings in Revelstoke and the first thing visitors will see when entering the community from the highway.
“We accept that the developer’s goal is to maximize their return on investment but with all due respect, we believe it is council’s primary responsibility to protect the interest of the community,” said Bruce and Wendy Tisdale in a letter to council.
City staff agreed that Victoria Rd. is one of the major corridors into the city in a council report, but added that as development within that area transitions into a mixed-use style development, increases in the height of buildings are anticipated, allowing for greater density and more space for units.
In total, the complex will have 24 apartments, 15 one-bedroom units and nine two-bedroom units.
Each unit is allotted one parking space, whether it’s a two-bedroom unit or not, and the building is to have three guest parking spaces, a total of 27 spaces both underground and adjacent to the complex. According to Jason Roe, an agent on the project, each parking space will be wired with the capacity to add electric vehicle charging ports. One parking space will be used as a dedicated car-share space.
The developers of the proposed complex also own the apartment building that already exists next door, a building with 10 units that are all leased by Revelstoke Mountain Resort to house their staff. They expect the same outcome for the units in their new building.
At the public hearing on May 24, owners of homes next to the planned development expressed concerns over lowering the number of available parking spaces of the complex when they already face parking issues due to the already existing apartment building next door.
Nadine Cameron says that during the winter, residents of the adjacent apartment building park all over King St., a small road just behind the proposed building. She adds that the portion of King St. just behind the proposed development is very narrow and is more of a lane-way.
“Revelstoke has its building requirements for a good reason, and very strong consideration should be given before granting this number and such significant variances from the requirements,” said Miles Bate in a letter to council.
The City of Revelstoke departments and outside agencies also received referrals for the development permit application to which no concerns were received. The issuance of the development variance permits will have no financial impact according to city staff.
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