A plan to build student housing next to the Courtyard by Marriott is in the works.
An application to rezone 0.34 hectares to the south of the hotel and along Patricia Boulevard was advanced to the public hearing stage during Monday night's city council meeting.
Faction Projects Inc. has submitted the application on behalf of River City Ventures Inc., the same group that backed the Marriott project, as well as a numbered company.
And the proponents are seeking to rezone the site to a tailor-made designation - called Patricia Residential - created specifically for the project.
It also appears the number of units that will be allowed on the site is under negotiation - no figure is provided in a staff report to council although it does say the totals allowed on properties to the north and east stand at 280 per hectare. The six-storey Marriott contains 174 rooms.
In regard to size and height, the building "will be constructed closer to the east property line, and away from any lower profile commercial uses along the west property line," staff noted in the report.
Two other rezoning applications were advanced to the public hearing stage:
- To rezone 2.5 hectares at 1755 Foothills Blvd. to make way for apartment housing was advanced to the public hearing stage.
If passed, the rezoning would increase the maximum density per hectare to 125 dwellings from the current 60, and increase the number of stories to four from three but still with a maximum site coverage of 55 per cent.
- To rezone a portion of 5567 Chief Lake Rd. to make way for a 28-lot single-family home subdivision.
Council approved application to vary three requirements related to the development following an informal hearing on Monday.
The variances include replacing curb and gutter with open channel drainage for the road system, replacing cement sidewalk with trail-grade pathways, and replacing a storm runoff collection system with an open channel drainage system.
Expense allowance increased
Council approved a $2,000 increase to their expense allowance on Monday night.
The boost increases the allowance to $8,000 and is in answer to the rising cost of attending the annual conferences for the North Central Local Government Association, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.
Attending all three is project to cost a council member $7,775 according to a staff report.
"It's not a holiday, it's not a raise, it's a lot of hard work and a lot of our work, as we all know, takes place outside of here as well as inside council chambers," Coun. Brian Skakun said during a discussion on the item.
Esso Cup gets council support
Council agreed to provide up to $38,000 in support of a bid to host the 2021 Esso Cup national girls midget hockey championship.
The tournament is considered the equivalent of the Telus Cup national boys midget hockey championship for which council provided $58,000 of in-kind support when it was held in Prince George in 2017.
The Telus Cup generated about $1.82 million in economic impact, and the Esso Cupis expected to give a $1.17-million boost, according to a staff report.
Westgate cannabis store given final reading
The application to rezone the old RBC branch at the Westgate Shopping Centre to make way for a BC Cannabis store was given final reading.
A change to the city's second-hand dealers and pawnbrokers bylaw exempting previously-owned trading and collectible cards from the 30-day holding period was also given final reading.
Commerical kitchen gets go-ahead
A temporary use permit lasting 18 months was granted to establish a commercial kitchen and catering service at the Aboriginal Housing Society of Prince George's headquarters at 1919-17th Avenue (at Winnipeg Street).
The Canadian Mental Health Association will run the kitchen.
