A major, two-tower multi-family residential building planned for 1454 Oxford St., first proposed almost a decade ago, is back on White Rock council’s agenda for a zoning amendment, with a further $2.3 million community amenity contribution (CAC) to sweeten the pot.
The previously contentious development, planned for the hillside just south of the Evergreen Campus of Care and west of White Rock’s water utility plant on Goggs Avenue, will include two towers on a shared two-storey podium.
The amendment – given first and second readings at Monday night’s (April 17) council meeting – is necessary because the number of units in the second tower would increase by some 78 units, as a result of a smaller proposed unit size, even though the height and massing of the building would stay the same.
Staff must now schedule a public hearing for the change, however – which will give residents a further opportunity to comment on the project.
Mayor Megan Knight – who expressed reservations about the number of new people the revised project would add to the neighbourhood – said Tuesday morning that she anticipates a large turnout of residents for the hearing.
But she said they should be aware the one thing that won’t change is the presence of the project itself on the hillside.
The project, formerly referred to as the Elegant development, currently under development by IOM Nautilus Views Ltd., already received the majority of required city approvals, including a phased development agreement, from the council of the day in 2017.
That essentially locked the city into the development, as members of the 2018-22 council observed when granting the project a development permit in July of 2021.
READ ALSO: White Rock council grants development permit to two-tower Oxford Street project
“I’m torn on this one,” Knight said during discussion on Monday.
“Because 78 units, to me, is a really big ask – that’s a huge jump in the density. But I do look at the other side of it, that big units aren’t selling anymore. The smaller units are more ‘affordable’ to more people.”
Knight asked planning and development services director Anne Berry to estimate how many more people 78 units might add to the area.
Berry said that, based on Metro Vancouver averages of 2.5 people per dwelling unit, it would add approximately 205 people to the building, increasing the population of the building to around 312, with an overall site average of about 500.
“My concern is looking at this traffic, with that many more people coming in,” Knight said.
Coun. David Chesney confirmed with Berry that a public walking trail is still part of the site plan.
He said that while he shared some of Knight’s concerns, he was generally in favor of the project going ahead, and also appreciated the developer’s intention to market only to White Rock residents for 60 days after units go on sale.
“To be very honest, this has been going on for a long time, and has been approved, so I think it’s time to fish and stop cutting bait.”
Coun. Christopher Trevelyan said that while he would not have approved the project for that location, now that it is approved, he would prefer to support smaller units that have more chance of selling to locals who wish to downsize, as well as providing an additional CAC benefit for the city.
“I do want to hear what the public has to say, but, to me, I’m going to vote for it and push it forward,” he said.
“Having an empty tower sitting there, I don’t think (there) is anything for the City of White Rock.”
The first phase, the 21-storey, 78-unit Tower A of the Nautilus building – which encompasses all underground work for the project, including a three-level parkade – is currently going through a building permit process with the city, following an application submitted in August of 2021.
A corporate report from Berry – and a letter of application from Nautilus’ development director Rick Mann – explained how the design of the 24-storey Tower B has been reconfigured, boosting the number to 125 from the 43 originally planned.
The changes will not require additional height, square footage or changes to the building massing, Mann noted, adding that reducing unit size to the 1,000- to 1,500-square-foot range is aimed at attracting White Rock owners planning to downsize from larger homes.
However, as Berry pointed out, since the current comprehensive development zoning for the site specifies no more than 121 units per building, a zoning amendment will be required for Tower B.
In return for the modification, Nautilus is proposing a CAC of $2,320,661. White Rock already received a $3,600,000 CAC, plus a 1.1 acre public space from the project as part of the approval process in 2017.
All traffic access will be off Oxford Street the report notes.
An updated transportation impact assessment, commissioned by Nautilus from Bunt and Associates Engineering – based on observation of current White Rock traffic patterns and comparison with a Vancouver building including similar units – concludes that the Oxford Street intersections with Thrift Avenue and North Bluff Road have “adequate capacity to accommodate the existing, opening day, future background, and total future traffic volumes at satisfactory levels.”
It also notes that off-street underground parking already planned for the project will provide 286 spaces for Tower B, far exceeding the number required by city bylaw (the development will have 409 parking spaces in all).
READ ALSO: Second hearing over highrises proposed for White Rock’s Oxford Street
Council also approved a suggested stipulation that third reading for the amendment, following the public hearing, should be contingent on the project meeting all engineering requirements and issues to the satisfaction of engineering and municipal operations director Jim Gordon, as well as council’s acceptance of the proposed CAC.
alex.browne@peacearchnews.com
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