Nanaimo city council is moving ahead with re-zoning for a multi-family townhouse development in Nanaimo’s Long Lake neighbourhood.
Council, at a meeting Monday, June 7, unanimously passed three readings of a re-zoning application for 3397 Tunnah Rd. The application, filed by P Square Engineering and Construction Ltd., seeks to re-zone the land from single-dwelling residential to row-house residential for a proposed 34-unit townhouse development.
The property, sightly less than 0.7 hectares, is located between Uplands Drive and Tunnah Road near Opal Road.
“What’s proposed, in concept, is 34 units, ground-oriented form of development consistent with the suburban neighbourhood designation for the property,” said Jeremy Holm, director of planning and development. “In this case, of course, this is purely a residential proposal, so there would be no public hearing related to this application, as per provincial legislation.”
According to city documentation, P Square Engineering and Construction hosted a public information meeting April 8, attended by approximately 15 people who voiced concerns about the existing width of Tunnah Road, increased traffic volumes, on-street parking, proposed density, tree retention and removal and insufficient pedestrian facilities in the neighbourhood. The history of the Opal Road and Rock City Road intersection, where traffic-control measures were removed, also came up in discussions.
Vehicle access to the development would be from Tunnah Road. Coun. Sheryl Armstrong noted there have been numerous complaints about vehicle traffic in the area and wondered about adding more traffic to Tunnah and Opal roads that are already used as a connector route between Uplands Drive and Rock City Road.
Holm said given the property’s scale and location, city staff do not anticipate the the development aggravating traffic issues, and noted that sidewalks will be fronting the property on Tunnah Road.
“The improvements to Tunnah Road that we’ll see in the additional access and activity there will slow traffic, if anything, but it wouldn’t contribute to volume in any … impactful way,” he said.
The community amenity proposal is about $129,000, with 40 per cent to go to the city’s housing legacy reserve fund and the remaining 60 per cent to be directed to parks and trail improvements throughout the city.
Also, as a condition of rezoning, a three-metre-wide statutory right-of-way will be secured at the rear of the subject property for a future public walkway between the neighbourhood and the active mobility route and transit along Uplands Drive.
Council unanimously approved three readings of the re-zoning application.
