Council, meeting as committee-of-the-whole, issued a development permit for a four-storey, 27-unit apartment development near the border with the City of Victoria.
Located on the west side of Alder Street north of Tolmie Avenue, the project would stand near the Mayfair Shopping Centre, within walking distance to Rutledge Park in Saanich and Topaz Park in Victoria, B.C. It is also within the outer edge of the Uptown Major Centre, an area where Saanich plans to increase density.
The project would offer rental rather market housing, and developers have agreed to a covenant that prohibits them from turning the building into condominiums.
Council also granted developers a height variance and a parking variance, which reduces the required number of parking spots by 14 spaces to 27 spaces.
The history of development dates back to 2011 when council approved a development permit for a four-storey, 16-unit family residential development with underground parking. However, the development never took place. While the current proposal follows the spirit of the previously approved application in terms of overall massing and density, the number of units has increased in response to market conditions, according to a staff report.
Developers, however, will have to wait for council to ratify the development permit until they have registered a covenant that commits them to the installation of 63 solar panels, and a payment of $6,375 to replace removed Garry Oaks by a 5 to 1 ratio.
