Neighbours concerned after Saanich approves first-ever townhouse development without parking
For the first time ever, the District of Saanich has approved construction of a multi-unit residential building that will not include parking spots.
Normally, a nine-unit townhouse project would require 23 parking stalls in Saanich. Once the new complex is built on the corner of Richmond Road and Allenby Street, however, there will be none.
"It really is a location where people could quite easily get around without a car," said Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock on Tuesday.
The building will be close to transit stops and Hillside mall. Saanich council unanimously approved the project with the capital region's housing supply crisis in mind, says Murdock.
"If we’re not requiring space on that site to store a car, it means we can create an additional home," he said.
'DOESN'T SOUND VERY REALISTIC'
The Camosun Community Association has its concerns, however.
"So much density," said Jamie Dopp, a Camosun Community Association executive member.
The district says the complex will cater to those choosing to live a car-free lifestyle. There will be storage for 18 bicycles, one car-share parking spot with an electric charging station, and all residents will receive a Modo car-share membership.
"From our point of view, that doesn’t sound very realistic," said Dopp.
Dopp also lives next door to the approved project site. His concern is that the quiet street he lives on will become a parking lot.
The house that currently sits at the corner of Richmond Road and Allenby Street in Saanich where the nine-unit townhouse complex will be built is shown. (CTV News)
Julian West, principal and owner of Urban Thrive Developments, says 80 people are already on a waitlist to get one of the nine townhouse units.
He says the next step will now be about getting people who already live a car-free lifestyle into those townhomes.
"We approached this from a couple of levels and the first piece is that matching process," said West.
"The final piece of the puzzle for us is we’re actually going to have a contract with our buyers," he added.
The contract stipulates that residents can't park on the street.
Dopp says he's concerned about what will happen when the original owners eventually sell their homes at some point in the future.
"And then what happens if the composition of residents in the building changes?" said Dopp.
He adds that the 'no parking' stipulation will rely on the honour system.
"He’s [West] admitted that it’s not enforceable, so it’s kind of like, moral pressure, I guess, is the hope," said Dopp.
The permitting and construction process is expected to take up to a year and a half to complete.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Storage shed or shipping container? B.C. Supreme Court settles long-running bylaw dispute
A long-running dispute over whether a structure on a Surrey property violates a city bylaw that prohibits shipping containers on residential lots has been settled by the B.C. Supreme Court