Mayor Kevin Acton said his dream of increasing housing opportunities in Lumby is coming to fruition.
A zoning amendment bylaw that seeks to alter 1700 Mountain View Avenue from single-family residential to two-family residential to allow the creation of 32 two-family dwelling residential lots was given first reading at Village of Lumby council Dec. 10.
“It is certainly filling part of my dream for Lumby to have inclusive housing opportunities,” Acton said. “I’m very happy to see this come forward.”
Acton said the developers are currently in the process of creating a site plan and are looking into slope stability of the four-hectare lot located northwest of the intersection of Mountain View Avenue and Highway 6.
“(This is) a huge, huge project that could mean really good things for Lumby,” Acton said.
Related: Lumby seeks more affordable housing
Related: Lumby targets housing
In their application, the developer said a driving goal is to provide solid three-bedroom homes for $295,000 or less and maintain a country-cottage aesthetic that meshes with the current feel of the neighbourhood. Each unit features designated green space for anything from grass to gardens at the occupant’s discretion. Units will be one storey at the front and two-to-three storeys at the rear with a walkout basement.
While the application sought rezoning to multi-family residential, Acton said that two-family residential is likely to be a better fit for the project.
This zoning, Acton said, allows the developer to reduce lot size while maintaining the medium-density designation. A covenant may be looked at down the road to hold the developer to that ideal.
“We’ve only given it first reading because there wasn’t a lot of meat in the proposal,” Acton said.
The project’s timeline depends on the developer’s progress. Acton said council will hold community input sessions as further pieces fall into place.
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