
Artists rendering of the apartment at 2589 Sunset Drive in Valleyview. (Photo via LA West Associates/City of Kamloops)
Kamloops City Council has approved a development permit for a new four-storey, 12-unit apartment building at 2589 Sunset Drive in Valleyview.
The proposal to remove an existing four-plex led to some concern from area residents, including Matthew Wallace who said this at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
“Properties in the area have a maximum allowable height of 12 metres, yet somehow this property is permitted to build up to 18 metres,” he said, during the public inquiries section of the meeting.
“The proposed development replaces a simple two-storey four-plex with a 40 foot-tall, four storey building, double the height of the existing structure, and yet only houses an additional eight units.”
Development Director Marvin Kwiatkowski later said the lot in question – across from Kamloops Mazda – is already zoned appropriately.
“The zoning bylaw allows a 15 metre height, 18 metres is maximum structure height, so that would include an antenna,” he said. “If you look at the height to the top of the building, its under the 15 metre maximum.”
“In the future perhaps, this won’t come to council as we’re looking at delegated authority for development permits. It would be hard to deny this application based on the number of units, because it meets the current zoning.
Wallace also said he believed that the style of building “is required to maximize profit not sensitive integration.”
“This building is now being shoehorned into a property solely to maximize the units without consideration to the neighbouring properties,” Wallace said.
“I’m not opposed to densification and I understand the challenges we have with housing in the current climate, but this particular building is completely out of the form and character of the surrounding neighbourhood.”
“This isn’t a rezoning application,” Kwiatkowski noted. ” The zoning actually allows this kind of density. We feel it does meet the development permit requirements.”
Kwiatkowski also said the new building is expected to consist of one- and two-bedroom units, though it is not clear how many of each there will be.