An aerial view shows the location of the subject property. (Town of Osoyoos)
Town of Osoyoos council has agreed to allow a developer interested in building 18 duplex units in a quiet residential neighbourhood to be allowed to hold an open house to provide information and answer questions from neighbours about the project.
Dilys Huang, a senior planner for the Town of Osoyoos, said the applicant, Amritpal Toor, the owner of Sigma Stone Inc., has officially applied to the town to amend a zoning bylaw to build the 18 duplex units from high density residential to low density residential.
The developer is hoping to develop a total area of 2.58 acres on the north side of 92nd Avenue, between 87th Street and Braeburn Place, said Huang.
“It is bordered by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) to the west and south and is located within 800 metres of two provincial controlled access highways on Hwy. 3 and Hwy. 97,” she said.
There are currently single-family homes north along Braeburn Place and east along Breaburn Place and 92nd Avenue. There is the Elks Lodge and single family dwellings within the RDOS along 87th Street to the south and agricultural lands within the RDOS west of the property.
“The subject property was formerly a gravel pit and is currently vacant apart from some vegetation,” said Huang. “There are slopes along the eastern, southern and western perimiters of the parcel.”
Previously, a development permit application for a multi-family development consisting of 109 townhouse units on the subject property was approved by the town council of the day back in 2009 and subsequently amended in 2010, however, that permit has since expired, she said.
“Due to various factors, such as local market conditions and construction costs, the applicant now wishes to subdivide the property and develop 18 duplexes, consisting of 36 dwelling units in total,” she said. “As a result, the Official Community Plan and Zoning bylaw need to be amended in order to facilitate the proposed development,” said Huang.
The 18 duplex parcels would be oriented along a proposed no-through internal road, which would be designed and constructed to municipal standards, she said.
“Access to the proposed subdivision would be near the cul-de-sac at the end of Braeburn Place,” she said. “The perimeter slopes will be located at the rear of the parcels behind a retaining wall constructed at the toe of the slopes.”
A geotechnical assessment has been conducted that has evaluated and provides more information with respect to geotechnical considerations for the proposed development, she said.
“In terms of servicing for the proposed development, any off-site servicing improvements in addition to on-site servicing requirements will be determined in consultation with True Consulting, the town’s engineer,” she said.
Although downsizing of proposed developments is discouraged, this proposed development is consistent with a number of town objectives and policies to create more housing objectives such as offering more housing choices, minimizing land use conflicts between existing and new residential development and encourage duplex construction as a lower cost housing option, she said.
The proposed development would promote additional housing types to accommodate different lifestyle and housing preferences, she said.
“Since the proposed development is located within an existing residential neighbourhood, a public open house would offer residents the opportunity to ask questions and to find out more information about the development,” she said.
All off-site serving requirements would involve cost sharing between the developer and town that would be determined in consultation with True Consulting, she said.
Coun. C. J. Rhodes said it’s important that a public open house be held as neighbours in this area are going to have concerns about a development of this size near their homes.
“The impact would be serious for those who own homes there,” he said. “There’s no doubt we would be interrupting the quiet lifestyle in this area.”
Huang said the road along Braeburn Place would have to be widened and amenities like sidewalks and lighting would have to be agreed to before this project would be able to proceed.
Mayor Sue McKortoff said she’s glad the developer has agreed to hold a public open house as it would give neighbours an opportunity to ask important questions and get answers about the proposal.
The developer will now work with town administration to finalize a date for the open house, likely sometime in late May.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
