More work needs to be done by the applicant before Armstrong council passes a bylaw to add units to a proposed downtown apartment building.
Council is considering a bylaw to amend an application for property located in the 3200 block of Okanagan Street to be rezoned from country residential to multi unit residential.
A public hearing on the property application was held in November for an 18-unit apartment building to be constructed.
The application subsequently requested consideration to increase the proposed density to up to 24 units.
“Every time something comes to council and it’s passed, it seems like the developer comes back for more,” said resident Terry Fletcher at the second public hearing on the application Monday.
“My concern is it sounded to me like the building would have livable apartments. Now, if you take more and you put more apartments in the same envelope, have we taken apartments that were livable and are we turning them into the next slums?”
Resident Ken Chapman questioned if the application has the required setback from neighbouring Meighan Creek.
“I’d like to see the protection of the riparian area taken into account,” said Chapman.
Mayor Chris Pieper said Fletcher’s and Chapman’s concerns are valid.
“We heard some important issues at the public hearing, like the possible jump from 18 to 24 units and the environmental setbacks,” said Pieper. “The application from the developers was a little vague on both.”
Pieper suggest council put the matter on hold until more information is received.
The developer was not at the public hearing.
“I just wonder if this is a little premature,” said Coun. Shirley Fowler. “Without him there, we don’t know the answers. He said up to a maximum of 24 units but we don’t know if there will be that many. We don’t know the floor plan. We just have some unanswered questions.”
Council voted unanimously not to pass third reading of the bylaw application until more information from the developer was received.
Coun. Paul Britton was also absent from the meeting.