More apartments are likely to hit Grand Forks’ rental market, following a city council resolution to amend a section of the Official Community Plan (OCP).
The amendment, passed Monday, June 7, was put forward by an applicant who wants to build a four-plex at an address on the 1100-block of Kettle River Drive. Council considered the amendment at a public hearing before passing its resolution in chambers.
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City staff explained that it was necessary to change the OCP, which deals with housing density, because a “technical oversight” in the plan assigned a density that was too low for the six-plex and single-family home already on the property.
The applicant hopes to build a four-plex where the house now stands, bringing the total number of housing units at the property to 10. That density meets current zoning bylaws, staff said.
Staff said they’d not received any written submissions after mailing letters explaining the amendment to people living within 30 metres of the applicant’s property. No one from the public attended the public hearing via Zoom.
Hearing no opposition, Coun. Chris Moslin motioned for a vote on the amendment, which passed unanimously. Coun. Christine Thompson recused herself from the vote, noting that the applicant happens to be her sister-in-law.
The extra rental units would make a small dent in Grand Forks’ housing shortage, which a January report published by the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary said was exacerbated by historic flooding which hit the city in 2018.
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