Residents and local politicians had the opportunity to discuss the details of a proposed housing project on Innes Ave with staff from the development company during an open house on Wednesday evening.
Held at T.M. Roberts Elementary School, the open house consisted of poster boards with project details, with staff from Broadstreet Properties Ltd. on hand to answer questions and respond to resident concerns.
The proposal features four four-storey apartment buildings consisting of 63 units each, with an additional 10 four-plexes, all to be built on a 10-acre parcel of land adjacent to Innes Ave on the west side of Cranbrook.
If the project is approved, all 292 dwelling units would be rented out at market rates.
Currently, the developer is applying for changes and amendments to a community planning document, as well as a rezoning designation for higher density. City council will hold a special meeting on Feb. 19, starting at 6 p.m. at city hall, for a public hearing on the proposed changes.
Kris Mailman, the Chief Operating Officer with Seymour Pacific Developments Ltd, said the company looked at cities across Western Canada for development opportunities.
“We did our market research on Cranbrook, saw a need with no new development of this nature in the city, so we came here and started looking at different sites around town,” Mailman said. “Looked at a few other options that didn’t really work as we wanted to for one reason or another, but this one came up and came to our attention. It is the best fit that we saw of all the sites — size, location, allows us to get us what we wanted to do with the unit mix.”
If the developer obtains all the necessary project approvals, construction for full build-out would take approximately 16-18 months.
While it’s no secret that Cranbrook’s rental availability is bleak with a one per cent vacancy rate, according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, residents who live close to the proposed development are concerned about issues such as increased traffic, stress on underlying infrastructure and on-street parking.
The city has received letters from nearby residents who have outstanding questions about storm drainage, land slope, traffic, and more.
Specifically, concerns centre on increased traffic on Innes Ave, a roadway that doesn’t have any sidewalks, congestion from only one road entrance into the development, as well as the potential for increased on-street parking with only 1.63 parking stalls available per unit.
Other concerns are focused on storm drainage and land slope, predicated on the fear of water runoff to existing nearby properties during bad weather events, while further issues include a lack of nearby amenities or services and overburdening the catchment areas for T.M. Roberts and Parkland schools.
According to the developer, stormwater and drainage design will comply with city bylaws through underground storm sewer systems and detention tank systems, while site grading will design drainage paths to ensure stormwater doesn’t cause flooding.
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