Shaughnessy/Prairie apartment advances despite parking concerns

Five houses and a pair of duplexes may be demolished to make way for a four-storey, 117-unit apartment building at the corner of Shaughnessy Street and Prairie Avenue.

Despite some tension over a possible parking relaxation, council unanimously voted in favour of moving the application forward at Tuesday’s committee of council meeting. The project still needs to be approved by council before construction can begin.

While he said he admired the design of the building, Coun. Dean Washington said he was concerned developments in the area would lead to “wall-to-wall cars.”

“I’m not in a rush to clog up that area,” he said.

The city would typically require 190 parking spots for a development of this size. However, applicant Polygon Homes proposed 177 stalls.

13 missing spots

The project is designed to keep a large Douglas fir by designing the parkade around the tree. That architectural adjustment would mean losing five parking spots, for which Polygon is requesting a parking relaxation. The other 28 trees in the area would be chopped down and replaced,

Polygon is also proposing to pay Port Coquitlam $320,000 in lieu of the other eight parking spots required by the city.

While some councillors noted the development’s proximity to transit, Washington remained unconvinced.

“Not everyone rides a bus and the RapidBus has not been a huge success,” he said.

The apartment’s parkade would be accessed from the rear lane, which should solve some potential congestion issues, according to city staff. The city has also sometimes mandated too much parking, according to planning manager Jennifer Little.

“Most of our apartment developments are over-parked,” Little told Washington.

While the parking may be inadequate, it may soon seem ample compared to future developments, according to Mayor Brad West.

“There are going to be issues, but those issues have been created in Victoria,” West said, referring to provincial legislation that restricts a city’s ability to mandate parking minimums.

A redo on the application would result in less parking, West predicted.

“The city’s not going to get this deal again,” he said, advising the applicant to close their ears.

Breakdown

Studios: 4
One-bedrooms with den: 30
Two-bedrooms with den: 74
Three bedrooms: 9

Units range in size from 450 to 1,012 square feet.

Money

In addition to the payment for a parking relaxation, Polygon would also pay the city approximately $343,168 for extra density on the site.