District of Squamish is recommending that council issue a development permit to a rental building at the site of the historical Brackendale General Store at 41665-41707 Government Road.
The council will decide on the permit at a meeting today.
The development proposes 28 residential units in two buildings and two ground floor commercial units. Out of these, 25 units will be dedicated market rental, while six will be moderate income rental housing.
“The addition of 28 purpose-built market rental units in the Brackendale neighbourhood would provide a more diverse form of housing in a neighbourhood of predominately single unit development,” staff says.
The proponent is asking for three variances and staff is in support of council granting those variances.
The proposed development requires 39 residential parking spaces, 12 commercial parking spaces and 8 visitor parking spaces.
However, the development is providing 39 required parking spaces and requesting a variance to allow to share visitor parking spaces with commercial parking spaces.
A traffic and parking review by Bunt & Associates Engineering Ltd says the development would not have an impact on the neighbourhood.
The study was paid for by the proponent.
“During morning and evening peak periods, approximately 15 and 24 additional vehicle trips are expected to be generated by the proposed new residential and commercial uses on site development. This equates to around 1 vehicle entering or exiting the site every 2.5 to 4 minutes during the peak hour periods on average, which is a minor change,” the study says.
“The shared commercial and residential visitor parking requirement is 18 stalls, which is met by the 10 shared stalls planned on site and the 8 adjacent on-street parking stalls. Given this, the parking demand generated by this site is not expected to impact the surrounding neighborhood.”
District staff supports the variance, saying that since the two commercial tenants in the existing development close by 4 pm, the sharing of visitor and commercial parking stalls is likely to be successful.
The staff is also supportive of the other two variances: The first variance request is to increase the maximum height from 12.18 m to 14. 5 m, and the other is to eliminate a small section of 2-metre-wide landscape screening along the northern property line.
If the council greenlights the project, the proponent will secure 24 residential units and six moderate-income rental housing in perpetuity. A permit is also subject to heritage character covenant, environmental protection covenant, and a shared parking arrangement.
The permit also requires a registration of a statutory right of way for public access on the Cottonwood Park trail and a commitment on using renewable energy source.