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Update: July 3, 2008, 4:35 p.m.
By Adrian Nieoczym
Delaying the public hearing into Troika Development’s proposed 67-unit rental building makes sense according to Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd, since without an acceptable transportation plan, council would be unlikely to approve the project anyway.
Troika is asking for an amendment to the Official Community Plan, granting it a density bonus and allowing it to build more units than would otherwise be allowed on its property at 245 Briarwood Road in Rutland.
“From the neighbours perspective, there was a real concern about the traffic that was coming in and out of that area,” said Shepherd, about what was behind city council’s decision Tuesday evening to postpone the end of a public hearing on the project until Troika submits a traffic study. “Without having that information there could have been a possibility that council may not have approved [the project] even going forward after the public hearing.”
Once the public hearing is complete, likely on July 14, Troika’s proposal will still need to receive second and third reading from council. Troika would then be in a position to apply for a development permit.
While Troika’s CEO, Renee Wasylyk, told Kelowna.com that council could have completed the public hearing Tuesday and waited until the development permit stage before considering the traffic study, Shepherd said the process does not always work that way and some applicants prepare their traffic study before going to a public hearing.
“In this case they were waiting, likely because they didn’t want to spend the money [on a study] in case they did get turned down,” said Shepherd. “From my perspective, having the applicant doing the analysis, which if [the project] did go through, they would have had to do anyways, should not delay the project too long.”
adrian@kelowna.com/(250)575-3517
Update: July 3, 2007, 3:25 p.m.
By Adrian Nieoczym
It looks like Troika Developments will get its wish and have the public hearing on its proposed 67-rental building resume as soon as possbile.
Kelowna city clerk, Stephen Fleming, told Kelowna.com Troika will have the traffic study city council requested Tuesday ready sooner than city staff expected.
“If all goes to plan, it will be considered July the 14th,” he said.
That the date city council’s next set of public hearings is scheduled for.
adrian@kelowna.com/(250)575-3517
Update: July 3, 2009, 2:15 p.m.
By Adrian Nieoczym
The head of the company trying to build a 67-unit rental building in Rutland is frustrated city council chose to delay a public hearing into their re-zoning and Official Community Plan amendment application.
“We’re very disappointed in the delay,” said Troika Development’s CEO, Renee Wysylyk, who added that a long delay could put the project in danger.
Council started the public hearing Tuesday evening but chose to postpone the end of the hearing until Troika submits a traffic plan for its proposed rental building at 245 Briarwood Road.
Wasylyk said she understands council’s need to make sure it looks out for the best interests of the community, but insists that the delay is unnecessary. She said that a traffic plan–outlining what steps would me taken to mitigate the additional traffic created by the development–isn’t needed until after re-zoning has passed through second and third readings and council takes up a development permit application.
“So in our case, they’ve pushed that forward and required it basically before we’ve even finished second reading,” said Wasylyk.
This is the second delay the company has encountered at city hall since initially filing its application in November. The re-zoning and OCP amendment is necessary because Troika has asked for a density bonus, allowing it to build more units on the site than is currently allowed.
Council delayed allowing the project to proceed to a public hearing while city staff developed a policy on the issue of granting developers density bonuses for rental buildings as long as they agree to keep the units as rentals and not sell them as condos.
Council approved that policy in late June.
“The city staff did just a great job in really tackling the purpose-built rental housing issue and I was really pleased to see council come forward with that decision,” said Wasylyk. “It just delayed us and now we’re experiencing yet another delay for a traffic study.”
Wasylyk pointed out that Kelowna has a dire need for rental housing and that it is hard for companies to turn a profit on the construction of rental buildings.
“They are not profitable from the get go…you hope to god you break even when you first build the building and you’re looking at a 10- to 15- to 20-year payback,” she said. “They’re difficult to do at the best of times.”
Wasylyk said constructing a rental building requires the perfect set of conditions.
“A rental project has a very narrow window of time. We need the perfect storm. We need a downturn in the construction market in order to build these in a cost effective way. So right now we do have that,” she said. “Even a two- to four-week delay for us right now could be the difference between getting into the ground before the snow flies or not and when were dealing with such a narrow window of time and opportunity, that can be the difference for us of whether or not the project moves forward.”
Wasylyk said it’s critical to start construction before winter, when construction is harder and thus more expensive. She added the company is trying to figure out the latest date it can get going on construction and still have the project make economic sense.
In the meantime, Troika is working to get the traffic plan to council as soon as possible and Wasylyk is hoping the application can be taken up again at the next scheduled public hearing date of July 14.
“Obviously waiting longer than that is going to impact us,” she said.
adrian@kelowna.com/(250)575-3517
Update: July 3, 2009, 10:39 a.m.
By Adrian Nieoczym
Kelowna city council started a public hearing into a proposed 67-unit rental building Tuesday evening. And they have yet to finish.
“Council left the public hearing open pending a traffic study report,” said city clerk, Stephen Fleming, adding that members of the public who spoke at the hearing expressed concerns about traffic related to the proposed development.
The hearing is for an application by Troika Developments, which is asking for a change to the Official Community Plan allowing it to build more units than is currently allowed on a property it owns in Rutland.
The company is arguing it should be granted the change because Kelowna is in dire need of rental units. City council recently adopted a policy allowing it to grant density bonuses to developers who build rental buildings and promise to keep the units as rentals and not try to sell them off as condos.
Fleming said Troika should have the traffic study complete within several weeks and the public hearing will likely resume later this summer.
He added the city will advertise the date of the hearing well in advance as it is legally required to do.
adrian@kelowna.com/(250)575-3517
