Cadboro Bay Residents Association has sent a letter to Mayor and Council asking for the proposed Penrhyn street townhouses to be sent back to the drawing board. Excerpt:
We believe the current application should rejected for the following reasons:
- HEIGHT AND SIZE: We question the need for luxury units of 2100 sq. ft with a full third floor. As well as overshadowing some neighbouring properties, this will negatively affect viewscapes. Smaller size would make the townhouses more affordable to a wider demographic.
- SETBACKS: The Applicant has asked for variances to reduce the already narrow setbacks near the front. We request wider (RC-3) setbacks at the side and rear to conserve more vegetation and trees. Figure 1 overleaf shows the very large amount of hardscaping vs green space.
- CHARACTER: This neighourhood’s character was singled out in the 2018 Local Area Plan workshops. There was a collective vision to “develop Penrhyn into a greenway/woonerf pedestrian street” with “low-rise infill housing”. These conclusions and accompanying sketch may not yet be law but surely should be respected.
In the 2016 community survey a large majority of residents said they would prefer a development of 2 to 2.5 storeys with significantly greater setbacks and more green space.
Click here for the full letter.
Add your voice to the public hearing on Tuesday June 18at Municipal Hall, 770 Vernon Ave. Estimated time for citizen comments is 8pm.
Attendance matters! Council members are impressed as much by “bums on seats” as they are by the arguments put forward—if not more so.
You can also write to Council at council@saanich.ca at any time up to 4pm on Tuesday, June 18.
