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Apartment development with less than half required parking approved in Kamloops

A development proposal for an apartment complex at 501 Tranquille Road was approved by Kamloops city council on Aug. 17, 2021.
A development proposal for an apartment complex at 501 Tranquille Road was approved by Kamloops city council on Aug. 17, 2021.

An apartment development in North Kamloops will go ahead with less than half of the parking spaces than would normally be required.

At 501 Tranquille Road, a 40-unit apartment building was approved for development by council on Aug. 17, where the debate hinged over whether the parking variance will innovate a path to more affordable housing options in the area or cause unwanted congestion.

Of the 40 suites in the building, five will be social housing units intended for youth who are leaving care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

The remaining 35 units are intended to be affordable housing, and, according to proponents, avoiding the cost of parking spaces is crucial to making that possible. One proponent, Kamloops restaurateur Mitch Forgie, explained this logic and the math behind those costs on his website.

In the end, Mayor Ken Christian voted against the development, while the rest of council voted in favour.

Coun. Arjun Singh recused himself due to a potential conflict of interest, as he manages an apartment complex which also hosts several social housing units. He said he would be in competition with the development if approved.

READ MORE: Less parking in urban areas may help affordable housing aims in Kamloops

"I see that the parking variance is too large, and I can't see that the type of tenants that are presumed to be in this facility — and quite likely will be in the initial stages of it — will be the tenants that ultimately reside there," Christian said at the Tuesday council meeting. "You really have no control over the tenants and the number of vehicles they bring with them, so that, in my mind, really leads us to a larger discussion of metered parking on the North Shore."

City bylaws state that the apartment building as it's proposed should include at least 41 parking spaces, but council had already approved the parking variance on July 20. City staff recommended to deny the development permit on Aug. 20, as well as when the parking variance was brought to council in July.

Two men from the public also spoke out about their concerns that the parking variance will cause a spread of residents using street parking, which would typically have been used by customers of nearby businesses.

Dean Huston, one of the men who spoke at the meeting, said the parking variance could set a "bad precedence" for future developers.

"Building a parkade is expensive but necessary in order to provide adequate parking. In closing, I think all developments need to meet city requirements for parking, otherwise, there will be parking issues," he said.

He also said that he owns properties at 544 and 545 Tranquille Road where he plans to develop a 44-unit apartment, which is intended to include a two-level parkade for its residents and visitors.

READ MORE: Lower Mainland housing prices makes Kelowna look nearly affordable

City councillors spoke about the need for different and inventive developments in certain Kamloops neighbourhoods in order to meet rising housing costs and goals to lessen greenhouse gas emissions in Kamloops.

"If we're looking to encourage people to live on the North Shore, to invest in it and believe in it, then we need to also make that investment in terms of providing an opportunity for someone with a vision to come in and try something different," Coun. Sadie Hunter said.

Coun. Dale Bass, while mentioning affordability concerns, also spoke about the need to make some Kamloops neighbourhoods less car-centric.

The development proposal, headed by EAS Holdings Limited, had the backing of a petition from the public with 79 signatures and eight letters of support, while two letters opposed to the development were sent to council.


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