Pemberton’s mayor and council opted to delay third reading for a new apartment building on the corner of Aster and Prospect streets on Oct. 17, as councillors and members of the public still have concerns over the low number of parking stalls planned for the development.
Plans for the mixed-use residential complex include 1,000 sq. m. of commercial space on the ground floor; 45 residential units split among the other three floors—four studios, 29 one-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom apartments; plus 54 underground parking stalls (10 of those will feature electric-vehicle charging connections and the remaining 44 will be electric-vehicle ready); and 90 bike stalls.
Council gave first and second reading to a zoning amendment bylaw for the land at its July 18 meeting. STARK Architecture submitted the application on behalf of property owner Fitzgerald Building Co. in March. Three single-family homes currently sit on the lot, which is zoned for commercial and residential use under a Commercial Town Centre designation.
The proposed development allows for car-free living in the middle of Pemberton’s downtown core. A traffic impact assessment conducted for the project in January determined the 54 parking spaces proposed for the Prospect Apartments would fall about 14 spaces short of current zoning requirements. There will be storage for at least two bikes per unit.
The proponents held a public information meeting on Thursday, Aug. 17, with about 15 to 20 people attending to share their views.
Most people had concerns about the amount of public parking planned for the proposed building, with some saying they primarily used car transport to access downtown. Some people expressed concern about issues with snow clearance on pedestrian and bike trails during the winter. They also said there was a lack of bus services within Pemberton and to neighbouring communities like Whistler, Squamish, and Vancouver.
Council has asked for the developer to provide a cash-in-lieu option for Community Amenity Contributions (CACs), but stressed they were eager to keep the project moving along.
Mayor Mike Richman said the project will fill a need for much-needed housing in the area and signifies a step towards more sustainable living.
“It will fit well in the landscape,” he said. “In terms of parking, I hear your concerns. This is something we see very regularly … I think we need to, as a council, recognize that there’s competing values in everything we do.
“It’s our obligation to look to the future and change the way we do things. We talk about making changes and thinking outside of the box. We are headed to a society that’s a little less car dependent. Personally, I recognize that this will put some pressures on parking.”
Councillor Laura Ramsden raised concerns over alternative transport options in Pemberton.
“We are all working on expanding our transit, but that’s going to be a slow process. I think the project is great, but we need to recognize that it will increase pressure on parking,” she said.
Ramsden suggested council might need to find creative ways to work out the kinks.
“We can’t solve all the parking issues here, but is there another solution that we can look at in terms of managing parking?” she asked. “Maybe, it means we need to have a level conversation about parking and how we are going to manage parking going forward. This is just going to keep happening.”
Coun. Katrina Nightingale echoed her colleagues’ concerns, but said change needs to happen sooner rather than later.
“I do think that there does come a time where that status quo has to shift,” she said. “The first step of change is the hardest part. I do feel that this inches us one step closer. The people that will potentially come live in this development will be at a variety of stages in life. We can keep putting it off, but this seems to me the best case scenario for taking that first step to reducing our dependency on the car.”
Nightingale felt this project would be a perfect first step, due to its proximity to local stores and facilities.
“It might be a little bit painful at first, and we will have to come up with some creative solutions,” she said. “If we don’t start doing it now, then when are we going to do it? Why not deal with it in the downtown core, where people can walk to amenities, they can walk to school, they can walk to their medical appointments?”
Council will consider third reading at a later date.
