New Westminster residents will be asked to consider two concepts for a project at the Victoria Hill development.
The City of New Westminster has received a rezoning application for a portion of 271 Francis Way. Onni is proposing to build 100 non-market dwelling units and 93 market rental units in a six-storey wood frame building.
A staff report states that Onni is obligated to provide 100 units of non-market housing, as it was part of the original development agreement for the Victoria Hill site, but the addition of 93 units is above what was originally contemplated for Victoria Hill as a whole.
"The 93 market rental housing units offers a unique opportunity to increase the housing choice in New Westminster," concluded a staff report. "However, concern is expressed regarding the addition of 93 units in Victoria Hill and the proposal to build a sixstorey building where the Woodlands design guidelines recommends a maximum four-storey building. A case has not been made as to why a six-storey building is superior to the four-storey building contemplated in the design guidelines in terms of its physical form."
Staff recommended the project be advanced to the public consultation stage and community members be asked to comment on two options - a six-storey building that's being sought in the current rezoning proposal and a four-storey building that was included in the original design guidelines for the Woodlands site.
"How can you take this to consultation?" said Coun. Betty McIntosh, the only councillor who voted against getting public input on two concepts. "We don't even know what it is going to look like. I felt we needed more work done."
McIntosh said she would have liked the concepts to be further developed before going to the public for consultation. She also expressed concern that the concepts are going out to the community shortly after city council tabled a highrise proposal at the Victoria Hill site because of concerns from area residents.
"This is not what I want to see going to the community," she said. "I think it is going to create a conflict situation."
Although McIntosh didn't support sending the two concepts out to the public for consultation at this time, she isn't convinced that a six-storey building isn't workable at the site. However, after years of questioning the status of the non-market housing to be included in Parcel O of the Victoria Hill development, she's glad to see some action on that front.
"They were obligated to build the 100 non-market housing units," McIntosh said. "That was there before Onni even bought the development. It has sat there year after year not being addressed."
FOLLOW THE LEADER
Coun. Bob Osterman believes there's no shame in looking at best practices in other communities and adopting them at home.
During a stop for morning coffee en route to work in Richmond, Osterman noticed that newspaper boxes in that community are subject to guidelines put in place by the City of Richmond.
"They charge every single newspaper box, even the Sun and Province, $100 a year. They have guidelines about cleanliness, graffiti on boxes and who to talk to about maintenance," he said. "This helps to control the cleanliness and litter."
Osterman provided city staff with a copy of Richmond's bylaw. Council directed staff to consider the City of Richmond's newspaper distribution bylaw and to report back to council on the feasibility of implementation in New Westminster.
Osterman believes the city should be monitoring other cities bylaws and ideas to see if there's anything worth adopting locally.
"We don't have to keep recreating the wheel," he said.
Osterman suggested money collected by the city for newspaper boxes could go into a separate fund and a specific use could be determined.
"Every time you think of ways to raise money, the individual taxpayer takes it in the pocket," he said. "I think that is wrong."
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