Plans are in the works to build 28 residential units on a Metral Drive property that currently has one single home.
Nanaimo city council, at a meeting Monday, voted unanimously to re-zone 5915 Metral Dr. from single dwelling residential to residential corridor.
TRD Metral Developments Inc. has indicated an intention to build a mix of two-bedroom townhouses and micro-units – less than 310 square feet – in three-storey clusters. A staff report noted that the re-zoning meets the intent of the official community plan, falls within the buffer of the north Nanaimo mobility hub, and is close to existing services, transit and employment centres. Staff also noted that the proposal aligns with the objectives of Nanaimo’s affordable housing strategy.
Jeremy Holm, the city’s director of development approvals, noted that the property’s street frontage will be upgraded in 2022 as part of the Metral Drive complete streets work.
“That capital project achieves a lot of objectives, obviously – improvements to the transportation network, the active transportation aspect of it,” he said. “Property owners fronting Metral will benefit from that if they choose to develop and it encourages, to some extent, development along those significant corridors, which is a positive.”
Coun. Sheryl Armstrong expressed concern about the property’s vehicle access being situated mid-block between Doumont Road and Doreen Place and within a school zone.
READ ALSO: City to begin Metral Drive ‘complete street’ roadwork in August
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