Nanaimo city councillors voted to amend land title covenants to allow a six storey condominium building at 6340 McRobb Ave., which replaces an eight unit townhouse development. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

change of plans

Nanaimo Council approves increased density for emerging north end urban node

May 27, 2020 | 6:34 AM

NANAIMO — A growing collection of multi-family housing units in Nanaimo’s north end is poised for further densification, despite opposition from local residents.

In a narrow 5-4 vote on Monday, May 25, city councillors adjusted covenants to 6340 McRobb Ave. to allow a six-storey, 66-unit condo building.

The planned development would replace an originally draft of eight townhouse units on the open lot dissected by private road Sentinel Dr. and bordered by Calinda St.

Numerous complaints from area residents were presented to the City, including from Kaien Shimizu, who lives in the neighbouring Texada condo building.

Shimizu warned of increasing density and congestion leading out of the development onto Calinda St.

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Aside from overall increased density concerns approved long ago, Shimizu warned of added congestion leading out of the development onto Calinda St.

“Now they are almost doubling the density, which increases the amount of traffic that they’re using and the number of cars of course that they would have,” Shimizu said on Monday night.

Another local resident said his strata council intends to take legal action if the covenants were amended.

No negative traffic impacts are anticipated from the proposed six-storey development, the City said in reference to a traffic impact assessment. Underground parking is part of the building plan to ease on-street parking concerns.

Multiple covenant and land zoning shifts were applied to the roughy three acre property across from the ICBC vehicle holding yard since the early 2000’s, according to a City staff report.

A notable adjustment occurred more than a decade ago when the council of the day rezoned the maximum height of two potential condo towers from 15 to 20 storeys.

The towers represent a future planned development on the properties west side, near the SimonHolt restaurant.

Coun. Ian Thorpe said local residents were under the assumption less dense housing would be developed around them.

“I just cannot support this change in the covenant, I don’t think it’s fair to the people who have been living there and it wasn’t the original intent of the project,” Thorpe said.

Coun. Tyler Brown voted in favour of replacing the townhomes with the six-storey condo.

“I think when we see these types of developments they can look sort of foreboding on paper but over the long run they contribute to complete neighbourhoods,” Brown said, who added he believed Nanaimo has too many single family homes.

While mayor Leonard Krog said he appreciated concerns from area residents, he agreed the site is an appropriate location to build upward instead of out.

“It all encourages walkability and liveability to that extent, and so I for one will be supporting the proposal,” Krog said.

Nanaimo’s Official Community Plan identifies the site for medium to high density residential usage within an area known as the Woodgrove Urban Node.

There are currently two four-storey condo buildings in the immediate vicinity, while a development application has been approved for a five-storey condo on Uplands Dr., beside the Texada building.

Council opted to receive written input from neighbours on the proposed covenants amendments instead of a structured public hearing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes