City council voted unanimously on Monday night in support of a development variance permit for a new 21,170 sq. foot office building at 700 Kinsmen Pl. on Monday.
In a report to city council dated June 1, city director of planning and development Deanna Wasnik recommends city council deny the development variance permit. The site is currently a vacant lot at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Stuart Drive, next to the offices of Skyline Dental and TC Energy.
“Administration does not support the applicant’s proposed variances, as the proposed increase is not consistent with the C4 zoning regulations intended to encourage office uses downtown,” Wasnik wrote. “The proposed variance will set precedent for larger office tenants to sprawl outside of the downtown.”
The proposed development is out of line with both the zoning and official community plan, she added.
Under the C4 zoning on the property, the maximum floor area allowed for office use is normally 560 sq. metres (6,028 sq. feet), and the maximum allowable floor area for any a single office tenancy is 280 sq. metres (3.014 sq. feet). City council approved increasing both those areas to 1,967 sq. metres for this development.
Coun. Frank Everitt said he understands the concerns raised by city staff about the proposed development, but “I look forward to it moving forward as quickly as it can.”
Coun. Brian Skakun said normally he agrees with city administration’s rationale for denying an application, but in this case he supports the development.
“If they don’t want to go downtown… then I am happy to see that investment on Fifth Avenue,” Skakun said. “I want to see this investment developed and happen.”
Coun. Terri McConnachie said the land has been sitting vacant for years, and the proposed development is infill along a main transportation corridor.
The proposed development fits in with the Skyline Dental and TC Energy office building, located next door, Coun. Cori Ramsay said.
“I don’t think we’re building a skyscraper here,” Coun. Kyle Sampson said. “There is plenty of office space in our community… not just in the downtown.”
In a letter to the city dated May 30, Prince George-based developer Rod McLeod said the proposed development is to house the offices of a major tenant which has other offices in B.C. and is looking for “representation in the North.”
“Although we are in a confidentiality agreement with the tenant there is a lease agreement in place if the variance is approved,” McLeod wrote. “This is a great, long-term and reliable tenant for Prince George which would employ approximately 80 employees and provide reliable tax revenue to the City of Prince George.”
McLeod said the tenant has agreed to a 10-year lease for the building, which would accommodate 80 workers and have 68 parking stalls. The 700 Kinsmen Pl. location is the tenant’s preferred site, and if council hadn’t approved the variance the tenant would “be required to consider other options,” McLeod wrote.
There were no sites downtown that fit the tenant’s requirements, he added.
“It is very important to support and build downtown, but it is also important to support locations like this,” Coun. Garth Frizzell said.
