A 32-unit townhouse development earmarked for East Keith Road and Orwell Street breezed through first reading at a District of North Vancouver council meeting Feb. 3, despite some concerns from neighbours about worsening traffic.
Located just south of Lynnmour elementary, the development would turn six single-family lots into four, 40-foot tall buildings arranged around a courtyard. If the development proceeds, the area would need to be rezoned from single family residential to comprehensive development.
The townhouses could exacerbate traffic, making it even harder to get in and out of the Inter-River neighbourhood according to some neighbours who voiced their concern at a public information meeting last November.
"The additional lane through the Cassiar Tunnel has been opened since that meeting and the unusual delays in the fall of 2013 seem to have eased," stated community planner Casey Peters in her report.
A traffic study is currently being compiled and should be available prior to a public meeting.
The site would include 64 parking stalls accessed off Orwell Street.
The three-storey townhouses would range from 1,388 to 1,675 square feet.
The increase in residential density means the developer will need to pay the district a community amenity contribution of $182,841. The money will likely go toward public art or park and trail improvements, according to a staff report.
The developer will also be required to donate $73,757 to the district's dyke infrastructure fund to guard against flooding.
The development would have a Floor Space Ratio of 0.8. FSR measures a development's total floor area against the size of its lot. The neighbourhood calls for an FSR of 0.7. However, the neighbourhood plan also includes exemptions for basements and garages, which, if enacted, would lower the development's FSR to 0.73.
Besides the six lots, the development also includes a small portion of road allowance on the corner of East Keith and Orwell Street, allowing for a straight line across the development.
