New Downtown Development Up for Community to Decide

The city’s official community plan allows for 8-story buildings. However, Chard Development wants to build two new buildings — one 13 storeys and the other 6 storeys — and retain an existing five-storey medical professional building on Yates.

The project features a central courtyard, daycare spaces, hidden utility lines, pedestrian and transit improvements, and underground parking. Of the 217 residential units, 104 will be sold at below-market value.

Councillors raised concerns about the project’s height and lack of rental units, and they’ve decided to move it into a public hearing.

“Is this perfect? No. Is it really great? Yes,” Councillor Marianne Alto said. “And I certainly think it’s great enough to move on to a public hearing.”

“At that point, I would look forward to hearing what people think about applications like this.”
What do you think? Would you like to see this 13-story building become a reality on Yates?

To learn more about this, read the Times Colonist story HERE