After sitting vacant for over four years, 1699 Seventh Ave. may be the site of new construction.
City council approved a pair of zoning variances on Monday to allow developer Investgo Ventures to develop eight townhouses on the site. It was the third time Investgo Ventures was before council seeking approval - in May, 2011 and December, 2009 the developer sought to rezone the property to build a six-storey apartment condominium on the site.
Residents of the Crescents neighbourhood expressed strong opposition to the construction of a six-storey building on the site - 47 out of 60 comments made during the public consultation in February opposed the development However, neighbour Bob Bailey said the townhouse proposal is a good fit for the area.
"I've lived across the street from this project for 20-plus years," Bailey said. "What [Investgo president Gordon Bliss] proposes will be welcome."
City council approved a zoning variance to allow covered entrances to be closer than 4.5 meters from the curb.
Council also, after some debate, approved a variance to allow Investgo to maintain the asphalt sidewalk along Seventh Avenue - city zoning standards would have required a new Portland cement sidewalk along the property's frontage.
Coun. Dave Wilbur said it doesn't make sense to upgrade 15 per cent of the block to, "a Cadillac version," while leaving 85 per cent of the block with asphalt sidewalks.
"There is no capital plan to replace that sidewalk in the next 10 years," Wilbur added.
The Portland cement sidewalk would be adjoined to narrower asphalt sidewalk on both sides, Coun. Brian Skakun said.
"I think it's about being flexible," Skakun said. "We need to be flexible and not enforce a standard that doesn't exist [on Seventh Avenue]."
Coun. Cameron Stolz and Mayor Dan Rogers opposed the sidewalk variance.
According to city administration, the development would be entitled to $190,000 in tax incentives under the city's new downtown development tax incentive program.
"We're contributing $190,000 to this development... I'm not comfortable saying, 'Take our money and build whatever you want,'" Stolz said.
Council also considered, but rejected a request to allow Investgo to remove and not replace a street light in front of the building.
According to Bliss, the decision to move from an apartment-style development to townhouses was motivated by cost.
"I've been trying for almost four years to do something with this property," Bliss said. "It's basically the only thing that'll fit on the property and fit with the neighbourhood."
