It won’t be the tallest condominium development in the City of Langley. That distinction will go to the 15-storey Charleston, when it is built on Industrial Avenue.
But at five storeys, a proposed new development by Weststone Group will certainly tower above other structures in a quiet residential area of the City.
A public hearing into plans to build a five-storey condo complex in an older neighbourhood south of Michaud Crescent and east of 200 Street drew about a dozen residents to city hall on May 13.
Although many were there to talk about the deteriorating state of their neighbourhood since homeowners began selling their property to developers five years ago (see related story), several also voiced concerns over the potential shortage of parking they fear will result from further densification, and to object to the height of the building.
The structure, which will house 90 residential units, ranging in size from 585 square feet to over 1,000 square feet, will be built on a piece of property dubbed ‘the island’ by the developer, because it is surrounded by roads on all four sides — 200A and 201 Streets and 53A and 53B Avenues.
The project meets the City’s requirement of 1.2 parking stalls per unit and offers an additional 18 spaces for visitors.
However, given the shortage of street parking in the area, one resident asked why the ratio couldn’t be raised to two spaces per unit — at least for the larger units.
“201 Street and Michaud (Crescent) are jam packed every night,” she told council, adding that some people have resorted to parking in the driveways of the empty houses.
In fact, there are so many vehicles parking along the street that sight lines for drivers trying to make left turns from the area onto Michaud Crescent have become dangerously obscured, said Barbara Scott, a 40-year resident of the neighbourhood.
It’s a issue that is raised each time a condominium project is proposed in the area, noted Councillor Dave Hall.
“As we densify, the concern over parking continues,” he said. Hall suggested it might be time for the City to look at designating a certain amount of street parking as “resident only.”
“It’s an ongoing concern,” replied City engineer Gary Vlieg.
The challenges of that, he said, are in enforcing such a bylaw and in issuing permits on an annual basis.
As part of the conditions for building, the developer will be required to widen three of the four roads surrounding the project — 200A Street and 53A and 53B Avenues — to meet current high density zoning standards.
The widening will also allow for better emergency vehicle access.
Some residents also voiced concerned about the structure’s height, commenting that a five-storey building is simply too tall for the neighbourhood.
The reason the developer opted to build to five storeys, instead of the usual three or four, is that it will allow Weststone to maximize the number of units within a relatively small footprint, explained Ron Martens of Keystone Architecture. That’s crucial if the project is to make financial sense, he added.
It also leaves more room for green space around the building, Martens noted.
There are also safety considerations, said the architect.
In order to comply with provincial building codes, at five storeys the building’s balconies will require sprinklers, the distance between fire walls is reduced and non-combustible materials must be used on the exterior of the building
“It’s probably a safer building than a four-storey (structure),” said Keystone’s Norm Davis.
Another resident was concerned the project could herald the arrival of more renters to the neighbourhood.
“I heard a rumour from a realtor that because of the (soft) condo market, this will turn out to be a rental building. Is that true?” he asked.
Martens replied that the building will be stratified and the units sold. “There is no plans for rental,” he said.
However, the developer did acknowledge that some units in Serenade, another Weststone condo project in Langley City, have been rented out or offered for rent, because they haven’t sold.
The condominium project passed third reading with only Councillor Ted Schaffer opposed.
Construction could begin as soon as two months from now and the developer expects it will take about 16 months to complete.
