The public will get a chance to have their say on a new condo complex next to the vacant North Delta Inn site, but even more such applications could soon be on the horizon for the Scott Road corridor.
A public hearing will take place Tuesday, Feb. 12 at the Kennedy Seniors Centre on the application to build a 181-unit medium-density complex, which will be branded “Scott and Nicholson”, at 6950 Nicholson Rd. Comprising two buildings with one and two bedroom units, the project would be built where a strip mall is currently located.
The development would include 237 residential parking spaces and 27 visitor parking spaces located in an underground structure, and vehicular access to the site would be from Nicholson Road.
The site was the subject of a previous contentious development application that also included the North Delta Inn property next door. Currently, there’s no application to develop the North Delta Inn parcel, while an adjacent parcel fronting Scott Road, where a gas station was once located, has put up for sale.
Meanwhile, a proposal was recently put forward for council’s consideration to pave the way for more developers to step forward with high-density housing applications for the corridor.
The bylaw amendment “to incentivize increased development density along the corridor and to further encourage revitalization” was part of Mayor George Harvie’s platform in last year’s civic election. Council decided it needed more time to discuss the proposal further.
A staff report notes that the Scott Road Revitalization Bylaw was adopted in late 2012 to establish a revitalization tax exemption program, which includes reductions in municipal fees and charges to encourage accelerated private sector investment in residential and commercial projects. Since the bylaw was adopted the corridor, according to the report, has generated strong interest from developers, predominantly for high-rise residential buildings.
Although that interest has led to construction of the Delta Rise, many areas along Scott Road “remain ripe for renewal.”
Under the new bylaw, apartments or mixed-use developments of at least six storeys would receive a freeze of property taxes for up to three years as well as the waiver of building permit fees, plumbing permit fees and land use application freeze. Currently, development cost charge breaks only apply to new buidlings at least 10-storeys.
