A six-storey, 25-unit residential development is proposed for the lakeside of the railway tracks in Salmon Arm.
Marvin Skjerpen and Goldwyn Construction Ltd. have applied for a development permit regarding the plans for a 0.5-acre parcel at 241 Beatty Ave. NW. The application contains a request for three variances.
A development permit guides what’s called the ‘form and character’ of the development.
The parcel is already zoned R5, high density residential, and the property is designated medium density residential in the city’s official community plan.
The variances requested are: an increase in the maximum height of the principal building from 15 metres (49.2 feet) to 16.9 metres (55.4 feet); a reduction of the setback from the east parcel line from 2.4 metres to 2.0 metres; and a reduction of the requirement to fully upgrade the Beatty Avenue frontage and instead provide a 50 per cent cash contribution in lieu of works and services. The building will sit on the northern portion of the parcel.
The city’s planning department report describes the building design as “a contemporary style very similar to the applicant’s recently developed “Shoreline” building at 131 Harbourfront Drive. The building features varied facades providing visual interest, incorporating high quality materials with proposed cladding including stucco, metal, and wood siding. The building provides an articulated roofline, stepping back above the first storey, and then stepping back again after the fifth storey for the penthouse above, aligned with the OCP guidelines.”
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The building referred to at 131 Harbourfront Dr. NE, also six storeys but 19 metres high, was described in April 2019 as Salmon’s first six-storey condominium.
Regarding the building height variance request of the Beatty Avenue building, the planning report stated that 16.9 metres is reasonable given that the nearby Prestige Harbourfront Resort is approximately 18 metres high and Lakeshore Manor is 16.5 metres tall. Similarly, the requested setback variance was described as minimal.
However, planning staff did not support allowing only a 50 per contribution towards upgrading the 29 metres of frontage along Beatty Avenue. Staff listed several reasons, among them that sidewalks are expected downtown and the frontage is part of the Heritage Trail route designated in the Greenways strategy and the official community plan. Staff noted that granting variances for minimum service levels would mean the costs would be deferred to future property owners or city taxpayers.
Coun. Chad Eliason emphasized he thinks staff are correct, that the Beatty Avenue NW frontage needs to be upgraded. The rest of council agreed.
The development permit application and variances will now go to the May 25 meeting of council for a hearing at 7 p.m. The public can submit input via email or call city hall for more information.
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