Lyonel Doherty, Times Chronicle
A proposal to build six duplexes on Chardonnay Avenue in Oliver has several neighbours crying foul over building heights and increased density. However, that didn’t stop town council from adopting the zoning amendment on Monday.
A zoning amendment is being sought to build a two-story duplex on 313 and 317 Chardonnay Avenue, as well as two on 380 and two on 389 Chardonnay, for a combined total of 12 dwelling units. Despite the concerns, including an opposing petition, council gave three readings to the amendment in a 3-2 vote. Mayor Martin Johansen and Councillor Dave Mattes opposed the amendment.
An existing covenant on the properties prohibits any building in excess of 10 metres in height; no building can be more than two storeys above grade.
Director of Development Services Randy Houle said the subdivision was created as multi-family lots designed for higher density development.
But on Feb. 13, several residents spoke against the proposal during a public hearing.
Oliver residents question public hearing process
Duplexes can move forward
An emotional Rick Doran expressed his fear about having a 29-foot “monster house” next to his home if the proposal goes ahead.
“I’ll never be able to sell it; the property value will go down $150,000,” he claimed, noting he’s on a fixed income.
Doran showed council a large photograph of a so-called monster house dwarfing a smaller home two blocks away. “I understand the developer is in business and they have to make money, but do they have to do this? I’ve never done anything to anybody.”
Doran said he looked at the zoning before he purchased his home and it was single family. “Now they want to change it to towers 29 feet high. This is crazy . . . it’s over . . . come on, have a heart here.”
Chardonnay Avenue homeowner Jeannine Cote said the amendment opens up the possibility of rental basement suites in these duplexes which will see 12 to 20 residents added to the neighbourhood, leading her to question where people will park.
Cote clarified that her concern is not the concept but the building height, adding she would be a lot more supportive if the duplexes were built with crawl spaces instead of basements.
Grant Innes from Mountainview Drive said he is pleased that something is being built on these lots to keep down the dust, but he can’t support the current proposal. He described the structures as buildings with secondary basement suites, not as duplexes, noting they have bathrooms and separate entrances. He pointed out that two of the duplexes have a combined total of 10,000 square feet.
“They are 29 feet above ground, twice the height of adjoining properties; they will look as ridiculous as some of the monster houses,” Innes said.
He said the solution is to eliminate the eight-foot basements and put in crawl spaces instead.
Property developer Parm Sandhu from Surrey said he originally considered building single family units but realized after looking at the market those would be too expensive for people to afford. That’s why he decided to build the duplexes.
Sandhu said people are calling him a “greedy developer,” noting if he was greedy he would have built the maximum number of units on that property in 2019. “I’m so upset because I’m trying to do the right thing,” he stated, noting that duplexes are affordable for young families.
Minder Bhullar, representing the development, said they are “downzoning” the property to offer affordable, handicap-accessible duplexes with unfinished basements.
Bhullar said quite a bit of misinformation has been created over this development, noting they have tried to address most of the concerns while meeting Oliver’s housing needs.
He pointed out these duplexes will be affordable, from $700,000 to $800,000, compared to single family units selling for a minimum of $850,000.
Still, the developers were asked if there was any way to lower the roofs. The answer was: “We’re trying to keep them lower than what is permitted.”
Cote asked if it would still be profitable to build the duplexes with crawl spaces only.
Bhullar said the development is designed to match the natural grade of the land, noting if they changed the plan neighbours would see four-foot retaining walls on the property.
Local homeowner Clive MacMillian said a previous petition of residents indicated they want low level single-family homes in that neighbourhood.
Following the public hearing, Mayor Martin Johansen said he wished the lots were considered separately and expressed a concern about parking, saying people will end up parking on the street instead of their garage. He agreed with residents that the building height should come down a bit.
“Some people build monster homes in this town; some of them should be hotels without a doubt.”
Councillor Dave Mattes said lot 380 does not fit in with the character of the neighbourhood, noting the height will be overwhelming in that area.
Councillor Petra Veintimilla asked if basement suites are allowed in duplexes. Houle said they are allowed in the BC Building Code but not in the Town’s zoning bylaw.
He later told the Times Chronicle that some municipalities have made changes to permit suites in duplexes, but the Town of Oliver has not.
Veintimilla acknowledged residents’ concerns and angst over the development, saying she completely understands Doran’s frustration. “He’s scared. I get that,” she said, and immediately became emotional when talking about making decisions on council that leave people unhappy.
Veintimilla said Oliver needs more multi-family housing, citing the Official Community Plan that encourages higher density. She noted that some people want to restrict building heights in their neighbourhood, but under the current zoning, one can build a 2.5-storey dwelling with a secondary suite much higher than what is being proposed here.
The councillor said there are many larger two-storey homes built under the same zoning in other neighbourhoods, leading her to believe that the units in question are not entirely out of place. She added the units are under the maximum height allowed.
“The developer has done a good job fitting the proposed duplexes in the neighbourhood.”
Veintimilla noted the development permit will ensure that form and character, including landscaping will be of high standard and compatible to what is already there. However, she did express a concern about the dark colour of the proposed duplexes, saying it is not the most attractive colour.
Councillor Aimee Grice said it’s hard having people speak so passionately against something that she feels is the exact type of infill that’s needed in Oliver.
She noted that mixed housing promotes healthy communities, adding the developer has done a good job in this case. “I feel the concerns of residents have been addressed appropriately by they developers.”
Mattes asked if council could control the colour of the buildings and the slope of the roof. Houle said council could not dictate the colour.
