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Six-storey 25-unit residential development proposed for Salmon Arm

Developer asks for three variances to be considered at a hearing on May 25
21599271_web1_copy_200522-SAA-Beatty-Avenue-drawing
An artist’s rendering of a 25-unit, six-storey multi-family residential development planned for 241 Beatty Ave. NW in Salmon Arm.

A six-storey, 25-unit residential development is proposed for the lakeside of the railway tracks in Salmon Arm.

Marvin Skjerpen and Goldwyn Construction Ltd. have applied for a development permit regarding the plans for a 0.5-acre parcel at 241 Beatty Ave. NW. The application contains a request for three variances.

A development permit guides what’s called the ‘form and character’ of the development.

The parcel is already zoned R5, high density residential, and the property is designated medium density residential in the city’s official community plan.

The variances requested are: an increase in the maximum height of the principal building from 15 metres (49.2 feet) to 16.9 metres (55.4 feet); a reduction of the setback from the east parcel line from 2.4 metres to 2.0 metres; and a reduction of the requirement to fully upgrade the Beatty Avenue frontage and instead provide a 50 per cent cash contribution in lieu of works and services. The building will sit on the northern portion of the parcel.

The city’s planning department report describes the building design as “a contemporary style very similar to the applicant’s recently developed “Shoreline” building at 131 Harbourfront Drive. The building features varied facades providing visual interest, incorporating high quality materials with proposed cladding including stucco, metal, and wood siding. The building provides an articulated roofline, stepping back above the first storey, and then stepping back again after the fifth storey for the penthouse above, aligned with the OCP guidelines.”

Read more: Construction starts on Salmon Arm’s first six-storey condominium

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The building referred to at 131 Harbourfront Dr. NE, also six storeys but 19 metres high, was described in April 2019 as Salmon’s first six-storey condominium.

Regarding the building height variance request of the Beatty Avenue building, the planning report stated that 16.9 metres is reasonable given that the nearby Prestige Harbourfront Resort is approximately 18 metres high and Lakeshore Manor is 16.5 metres tall. Similarly, the requested setback variance was described as minimal.

However, planning staff did not support allowing only a 50 per contribution towards upgrading the 29 metres of frontage along Beatty Avenue. Staff listed several reasons, among them that sidewalks are expected downtown and the frontage is part of the Heritage Trail route designated in the Greenways strategy and the official community plan. Staff noted that granting variances for minimum service levels would mean the costs would be deferred to future property owners or city taxpayers.

Coun. Chad Eliason emphasized he thinks staff are correct, that the Beatty Avenue NW frontage needs to be upgraded. The rest of council agreed.

The development permit application and variances will now go to the May 25 meeting of council for a hearing at 7 p.m. The public can submit input via email or call city hall for more information.



newsroom@saobserver.net

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21599271_web1_200522-SAA-harbourfront-six-storey
Salmon Arm city staff compared the design of a building proposed for 241 Beatty Ave. NW with the six-storey building being completed at 131 Harbourfront Dr. NE, also developed by Marvin Skjerpen. (Martha Wickett - Salmon Arm Observer)
21599271_web1_copy_200522-SAA-Beatty-Avenue-complex
The 0.5 acre parcel outlined in red at 241 Beatty Ave. NW is the proposed site of a 25-unit residential development in the form of a six-floor multi-family building. (City of Salmon Arm image)


Martha Wickett

About the Author: Martha Wickett

came to Salmon Arm in May of 2004 to work at the Observer. I was looking for a change from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, where I had spent more than a decade working in community newspapers.
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