On April 4th, a Community Association Land Use Committee meeting was held regarding a forthcoming Rezoning and Development Permit application for 837 Broughton Street. The applicant is Fort Properties. The application includes a six storey building with 42 purpose built rental units and one live-work unit at grade along the frontage. There will be no vehicle parking spaces provided within the footprint of the development, due to the small nature of the site, and 56 bicycle parking spaces. The density (FSR) in the application is 2.0. The OCP allows for density (FSR) of 5.5 in this area, and a maximum height of 20 storeys.
Community comments and concerns raised at the CALUC meeting regarding the application are as follows:
Residents supported the idea of electrification of the development and supported the idea of aiming for further sustainability initiatives.
Residents noted that the nearby heritage buildings have ornate features that are missing on the subject development.
The applicant explained some of their approaches such as bricks with different depths.
One resident noted that the new building should not try and outshine nearby heritage buildings and a more subdued façade is appropriate for the location and balances and feels that the framing of the side walls is a critical framing of the nearby buildings.
One resident noted that there should be some consideration for a road crossing of some way to allow pedestrians to cross the street, and that this will be needed with the additional traffic in the area.
The Applicant has a history owning rental and commercial projects in the community and the DRA LUC looks forward to working with the applicant to ensure the project is a substantive addition to the community.
Sincerely,
Jordan Royer
Co-Chair Land Use Committee
Victoria Downtown Residents Association
