A rendering of the five-storey, 82-rental-unit residential building and detached commercial space proposed for 5730 Turner Rd., located at the intersection of Turner Rd and Uplands Dr. (City of Nanaimo)

By Jordan Davidson

live and work

Plans in the works for major north Nanaimo residential and commercial development

Oct 14, 2024 | 5:50 AM

NANAIMO — A major residential and commercial development in north Nanaimo has taken another step forward.

Located at the intersection of Uplands Dr. and Turner Rd., the proposal is for a V-shaped, five-storey, multi-family residential development with 82 rental units, along with a secondary, single-storey separate commercial building on-site at 5730 Turner Rd.

During the Friday, Oct. 10 design advisory panel meeting, members didn’t object to the requested variance to the height of the residential building, going from 14 metres to 16.25 metres.

The developers originally asked for a variance in the number of required parking spots, but have since scrapped that request after rejigging the plan to include 120 parking underground and surface-level spaces, with 115 being the requirement for a project of this size.

Around 40 long-term and eight short-term bicycle parking spaces are also required, with at least one of each also required for the commercial space.

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The residential development would contain studio, one and two-bedroom units, with a shared plaza located in between the two buildings.

The commercial building is intended for offices, a financial institution, and a small restaurant.

A rendering of the plaza and commercial building. (City of Nanaimo)

The design advisory panel also made four recommendations, including considering ways to give the commercial building more of a presence by using different colours or building materials.

They also suggested ways to connect the ground floor of the residential units to the street, add plants on exposed concrete areas and consider including units which can be adapted to become more accessible.

A development permit was issued for this property in 2021 but was cancelled last year, with the developer making changes to the plan prior to this latest development permit application.

A new development permit must still be approved by Nanaimo City Council.

An overhead view of the proposed development lot. (City of Nanaimo)

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow