Another corner of Cleveland Avenue and Winnipeg Street will likely be getting more homes.
Squamish council approved three readings of a rezoning application for 38108 Cleveland Ave., which is the lot next to Pearl’s Value and Vintage, by a 6-1 vote at the April 16 regular business meeting. Coun. Lauren Greenlaw cast the only vote against the readings.
There will be no public hearing for this application, as the residential aspect of the project is greater than 50% and, therefore cannot have a public hearing due to provincial regulations. As such, council will likely adopt this decision at an upcoming regular business meeting.
“That piece of property sat for a long time not providing employment space of any sort or adding to the streetscape, so this is a big piece I'm really happy to see this move forward,” said Mayor Armand Hurford.
The application from Lexi Development Group seeks to build a five-storey building with commercial space on the first floor, parking on the second and the remaining storeys housing 23 residential units. In total, 20 two- and three-bedroom units will be market rentals and the remaining three one-bedroom units will be affordable rentals.
Notably, the lot in question used to be a gas station in the 1990s and a proposal by the same proponent at the same location was defeated by the council of the day in 2021.
According to a District report presented at the recent meeting, since the homes are all secured at market or affordable rental rates, there are no community amenity contributions associated with the application. However, the application proposes to construct a plaza at the Cleveland and Winnipeg corner, upgrade one crosswalk on Loggers Lane with a flashing beacon, and enter a no-gas covenant for the whole building.
Some on council were concerned about the views of Mt. Garibaldi or Nch’kay that the upper storeys would protrude into, as the top three storeys are set back less than the recommended 14 metres.
Ultimately, however, Coun. Chris Pettingill said more density downtown will preserve the natural space outside of it.
“There is a reason why people want to live in Squamish and so those viewscapes are important. But, I also keep in mind that when we are able to find a bit more height and a bit more density downtown, it keeps us all within 15 minutes of the true outdoor space where we can have full views,” he said.
Greenlaw did not speak to her opposition to the application during the meeting.
This particular intersection will likely see lots of new construction in the coming years. Across Cleveland Avenue from this proposal, Squamish council recently approved three readings of a 44-unit mixed-use building that also includes a proposed plaza upgrade to the Cleveland Avenue and Winnipeg Street intersection.
Learn more about the 38108 Cleveland Ave. project by reading the District of Squamish’s report from the April 16 council agenda.
