A proposal to build a 36-unit apartment building at the corner of 15th Avenue and Ahbau Street is drawing opposition in advance of a public hearing before city council Monday.
So far, the city has received letters from three people living in the area who have raised concerns about the potential impact on traffic volume to the building's height to an apparent lack of amenities for dealing with cigarette butts and other types of litter.
A 1400-block Fraser Crescent resident - the person did not provide a name - urged council to reject the proposal outright, saying there are already 18 apartment buildings on 15th Avenue and five apartment buildings along Ahbau to as far as Esther's Inn.
"Traffic on my street has increased 10-fold as the apartment dwellers come down the back alley and down my street to avoid 15th (Avenue)," the resident said in part. "This has increased my fumes and traffic noise."
The building will be 4 1/2 stories or 17.3 metres high, the site must be rezoned to high-rise residential from multiple residential, which limits the maximum height to three stories or 12 metres.
At that height, Victoria Henkel, another 1400-block Fraser Crescent resident, said the building will cast unwanted shade onto her deck, house and lawn.
"I have also spent the extra money on 'privacy lattice' which would be obsolete when the future residents of the high rise would be looking down on our deck," Henkel said.
She said the neighbourhood will become overcrowded and further hinder traffic flow.
If built, the building will be located between the 40-unit Pine Grove Manor and the 41-unit Rosella apartment buildings.
Single detached homes are located to the north of the property and the 15th Avenue frontage road to the south.
Concerns raised by an 1100-block Dahl Street resident, who provided only a last name, included a lack of a fully-paved sidewalk along Ahbau to Spruceland Mall and a lack of even one city garbage receptacle along the street despite the large number of fast food restaurants in the area.
Other hearings on council agenda
Three other public hearings are also scheduled for Monday:
A mixed commercial-residential development at the corner of Vanier and Massey Drives.
A suburban residential development over 2.8 hectares of undeveloped land at 5354 Shellburn Rd. in Blackburn.
An industrial development on 61.28 hectares at the corner of Boundary and Torpy Roads in the Prince George Global Logistics Park near the airport.
