The Squamish council will be considering an application to rezone four parcels on Finch Drive to allow 20 duplex units, 18 townhomes, and 172 apartments in four apartment buildings.
District staff will introduce the Upper Finch Drive rezoning application at a Committee of the Whole meeting tomorrow for a housing development for 1050, 1056, 1057 and1070 Finch Drive.
The 8.5 hectare development will be located on the east end of Finch and Raven Drive. The property is currently zoned Residential 1 and will be rezoned to Comprehensive Development Zone if council approves the development.
Two of the apartment buildings are proposed on the lower portion of the site accessed off of Finch and Raven Drive. Two other apartment buildings and the duplexes and townhomes are proposed on the upper area of the site.
The proposed apartment building height is 18 metres or five storeys, whichever is less, according to a staff report. This exceeds the four-storey apartment building height identified in the Loggers East Neighbourhood Plan, but the extra height will allow for more open space, the report says.
The steep topography of the site and the lack of neighbours to the east should minimize the impact on neighbouring views, the report adds.
The new housing proposal calls for a reduction of 60 parking stalls from the standard zoning bylaw, which the staff supports. This reduction would result in 900 square metre of green space as opposed to the paved parking stalls, the report says. The proponent is also providing five visitor spaces for the duplex units, which is not required by the district.
Staff is supportive of the reduced parking because 32 units will be secured as affordable housing, and 60 units are close to active transportation infrastructure.
The development would also provide an active transportation connection from the site to the Corridor Trail on Loggers Lane.
The rezoning application is also proposing two public park areas as well as improvements to the Squamish Legacy Sports Park.
The proponent has also committed to building the affordable rental apartment building in the first phase of the development, which will provide a minimum unit size of 800 square feet and an average unit size of 938 square feet.
Pierre friele says
This project is more than proposed-they have been blasting quarrying rock hammering crushing stockpiling road building since spring; basically disturbing the peace for a couple years at least just for the prep phase, never mind the building out. Its too late to consider: it’s fait accomplis. The notion of Staff/Council consideration is a joke. It’s a done deal. Oh and the bit about parks: laughable! If left alone it would be much more parklike! Oh and the bit about not obscuring views: it’s gonna look like Hong Kong from my house on Raven, not to mention everyone up there will see me naked in my bathroom window.
Jim Harvey says
The thought of seeing you naked Mr Friele is enough to shut this project down for good!
Glenn Stainton says
It really is time for a new council that does their job of representing the wishes of the community. They need to get off their high horse of climate change and represent the level of densification this community desires
Ted says
200 plus units 200 parking spots . It will quite a hike to the bus stop on loggers lane for the bus hope they are responsible for plowing the new side walk.
Ryan says
I think reducing parking is a very poor approach especially given how far away this development is from anything “walkable”. I don’t really understand the approach. Reduce available parking so people don’t have anywhere to park and it becomes such an inconvenience that they they rid themselves of their cars? The logic doesn’t make sense. Why is there no talk over setting aside land and having the developer and the town lobby the school board/provincial government to build a school in the area. I’m pretty sure every child grade 6 and under is already driven to school and picked up every day by their parents because walking to any of the “close” schools is not practical. Where’s the talk of the services such as water and sewer to support this many units and the developer coughing up the money to improve that infrastructure if required. Park space and improving existing facilities is great and all but seems like a smoke screen for the larger issues (expensive and will probably will be covered by existing rate payers). I also agree with the construction has already started. Living on Kingfisher/Raven there is a daily stampede of dump trucks shaking the house every 5-10 minutes as they drive by 7am-5pm daily. Raven is to narrow past the cardinal drive turn for trucks to pass each other so they have to take turns going each way. Finch drive is wider and i don’t understand why they are utilizing Raven Drive so much. I question if anyone every puts in the proper consideration when they approve developments like this.