An 1891 home on the city’s Heritage Register is being considered as a laneway house in the West End.
Council has directed staff to process a heritage revitalization agreement application for 1031 Sixth Ave. that would allow the McLaughlin house to be moved to the rear of the property and a new home built on the front of the site.
“The city does not have established guidelines for the design of laneway or coach houses,” said a staff report. “Ongoing discussions with the community during the official community plan review show that the community is generally in favour of laneway or coach houses if they are ‘done right’.”
New plan at Brewery District
A new plan is brewing for the Brewery District in Sapperton.
Wesgroup has submitted a rezoning application for the Brewery District, which would add 3,902 square metres (42,000 square feet) of additional site density to future buildings six and seven, in exchange for providing 7,804 sq.m. (84,000 sq.ft.) of secured market rental housing in building five at 228 Nelson’s Crt. A staff report notes that the Wesgroup is also proposing to increase the building height for building eight and to add a brewery/brew pub and commercial school to the list of permitted uses on part of the site.
Council has supported a recommendation from its land-use and planning committee to direct staff to process the rezoning application and master development permit amendment for the Brewery District.
Time to ditch ditches?
Could ditches become a thing of the past in Queensborough? Time will tell.
Council has endorsed ditch infill and urban streetscape strategies for Queensborough and directed staff to incorporate the standards into Queensborough’s subdivision and development control bylaw. Streetscape improvements in Queensborough would be financed by subdivision or building permit applications, local service area agreements or homeowners wanting to enclose the ditches in front of their homes.
“Queensborough is undergoing urban transformation as rural parcels are developed into smaller residential lots or multifamily site sand also as old houses are being replaced with new ones,” said a staff report. “Many rural streets with open ditches have already been replaced with urban streetscape as part of the redevelopment process. Residents and buildings in the historical QB neighbourhoods have expressed an interest to transform their rural streetscape into a more uniform urban environment.”
New time for council
The City of New Westminster has tweaked its new city council meeting schedule.
Last September, city council eliminated the afternoon committee of the whole meetings and began holding its regular meetings at 5:30 p.m. and allowing delegations to speak at 7 p.m.
Council recently passed a staff recommendation that will see council meetings beginning at 6 p.m., and open delegations will still be scheduled for 7 p.m.
Council also schedules closed meetings on Mondays at 2 p.m.
Fraser River marina owners get support from city hall
New Westminster is fighting for fairness for marina owners on the Fraser River.
Ron Francis, who owns a marine in Queensborough, recently appeared before city council to express concern that Port Metro Vancouver is increasing lease costs for marina owners along the Fraser. Marina owners have voiced concerns for the past couple of years that the way the port authority calculates the value of a water lot leads to excessive hikes.
In response to Francis’s concerns, council has agreed to write to the Port Metro Vancouver asking that it reconsider and reduce rental fees for marina owners on the Fraser River to make them comparable to the provincial rates. Given the “excessive increases” proposed, the city will also write to Metro Vancouver, the federal minister of transport, New Westminster-Burnaby MP Peter Julian and Port Moody-Coquitlam MP Fin Donnelly.
New West contemplates changes to Sixth Street
New Westminster is considering a change that would “provide for a more vibrant streetscape” on Sixth Street.
The city is proposing an amendment to the properties designated as Uptown Commercial on Sixth Street, between Fourth and Royal. Currently, those properties have a mandatory requirement for having commercial at grade level, but the city is proposing changes that would allow residential uses.
“This will help provide for a more vibrant streetscape, while also helping to address other initiatives within the city such as providing more opportunities for different forms of family-friendly housing such as city homes townhouses, garden apartments and other ground-oriented forms,” said a staff report.
Queen’s Park study continues
The Queen’s Park Neighbourhood Heritage Study Working Group will be discussing a variety of ideas with the city solicitor.
The group has developed principles and strategies for retaining and enhancing the character of the Queen’s Park neighbourhood. Items to be discussed with the solicitor include heritage conservation areas, development permit areas and questions about implementation of some of these initiatives.
A staff report to council states that there is “significant” support for strong heritage retention opposition and the neighbourhood would like the city to take action on these quickly.
Staff will be sharing information about the process with other city departments[MT(1] and will prepare a final report for council’s consideration.
