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District of Squamish council will debate giving a development permit to a six-storey building that offers 67 purpose-built rentals to the community.
Of the 67 rental units provided, 33 are 2-bedroom units, and one is a 3-bedroom unit.
The project at the former Squamish Budget Inn at 38012 Third Avenue is a district priority because of the rentals.
But there is quid pro quo here.
The developer is asking for six variances: 10 parking spots paid in cash, an increase in height, reduction in office space, waiving of a loading bay requirement, a variation in setback and indoor amenity space.
DOS planning staff are supportive of the variances. “Staff are supportive of the variances as proposed, as the location is in a transition area between commercial core and Downtown residential area to the west, and there continues to be a substantial lack of purpose-built rental in the Downtown area.”
There will be one parking spot per unit, and the district allows cash-in-lieu for parking for seven commercial parking spaces, but the developer wants 10 variances.
Quoting a Metro Vancouver study, staff suggests that even one parking per residential unit would be more than enough with Squamish moving towards a ‘walkable downtown with access to alternative transportation options such as car share and both local and regional transit.’
“With this future in mind, rental building parking studies in Metro Vancouver generally have lower vehicle parking utilization with a vehicle rate of 0.72 per unit. If this rate were to be applied to this building, the parking requirement would be 49 spaces instead of 67, a difference of 18 spaces,” according to the report.
Staff is support of the parking variances.
“As this building is securing dedicated rental in the downtown, and given the recommendations of Metro Vancouver studies, staff are in support of the parking variance,” the report said.
Staff are also in support of a variance for reducing office space from 20 per cent to 9.2 per cent. It is not a variance staff says it would generally support, but they are willing to support this because purpose-built rentals are a council priority.
“Staff are in support of the variance proposed as the development is located on Third Avenue, on the outside of the Downtown Commercial Core where employment space may be less vital,” according to the report.
A height variance is also being proposed, from 20 metres to 21.09 metres to support an upper story mezzanine to increase units from one to two bedrooms.
Donny says
Are they insane? Just walk around any street in the whole of Squamish or ask the snowplough operators about street parking ; there are as many vehicles littering the streets as there are plastic bags floating in the ocean. More is what is needed ,not less.