A development proposal in the Metrotown area that had a rough ride at a public hearing earlier this year appears to be on the way to approval.
A rezoning application for a property at Hazel Street and McMurray Avenue passed second reading at council Monday. The plan would see the construction of two highrise apartment towers, including 254 purpose-built rental units, along with a new church fronting Sussex Avenue.
The application came forward after a lengthy report from city staff in response to a number of concerns expressed by residents at a public hearing back on May 31.
Some of the issues raised included the adequacy of existing infrastructure services, the proposed height and siting of the buildings relative to shadows, views and privacy, and increased traffic and the effect on emergency vehicle access.
There were also concerns raised regarding the impact of proposed rental units on property values, crime and the standard of living, and questions around the owner.
In response, the report stated the city did not have evidence of a “documented relationship between crime, noise or substandard levels of maintenance, whether a new development is proposed to be rental or strata.”
The report also indicated that, in a review of crime statistics with Burnaby RCMP, there was no greater proportion of calls for service to the existing rental buildings in the area than the surrounding strata buildings.
Meanwhile, the report noted the current owner and financier of the rental property is B.C. Investment Management Corporation, which is a public sector pension fund and manages billions of dollars in assets globally. The rental developer is Bentall Kennedy.
The city said, given the positive maintenance history of the existing rental buildings on the subject site, there is confidence the developers will be “committed to the long-term maintenance and appropriate standards of property management for the new rental buildings.”
City council seemed to be satisfied with the report by staff, approving the rezoning application to move to a third and fourth reading at a later date.
Coun. Colleen Jordan said she was happy to see standalone rental housing coming to the city but was caught off guard by the opposition to the project, especially the rental component.
She suggested in the future the city might want to consider requiring developers hold meetings with the neighbourhood, noting that didn’t happen in this case.
“They (the public) didn’t have a really good understanding of what was being proposed,” Jordan said.
Coun. Dan Johnston said he would also support the application, arguing the city needs to take advantage of the opportunity to add the rental units.
“I think the proposal before us does go a long way in addressing the rental need in Burnaby,” he said.
