City council to review proposal for 141-unit building at First and Columbia

Photo: City of Kamloops

On Tuesday, Kamloops council will review a development and rezoning application for Canary Lofts, a 141-unit apartment building proposed for Columbia Street and First Avenue.

An eight-storey, 141-unit residential development could be in the works for a site at First Avenue and Columbia Street in downtown Kamloops, with council set to review the proposal on Tuesday.

According to a report prepared for council, developers have proposed combining several properties at First Avenue and Columbia to accommodate the new build, which would be called Canary Lofts.

The proposed development site currently holds two multi-family buildings. An 11-unit building will be incorporated into the new development, and a 30-unit building will remain on the property, increasing the total number of proposed homes to 171 units.

There are also three houses on the site, one of which is planned to be removed as part of the development.

The report indicates developers intend to sell 114 units, while 27 units would go up for rent.

“This proposed development adds an additional 141 residential units in the downtown core near a full range of parks, employment and public as well as commercial services,” the staff report said, while noting the project would bolster housing in part of the city expected to see increasing growth.

“A mix of rental and strata, studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units are proposed for the Canary Lofts building, providing diverse housing types to support residents of various age groups, family types, lifestyles and income levels.”

City staff said future residents would be in close proximity to public transit, employment and shops, meeting the City of Kamloops’ climate goals of increasing the number of residents who can access daily needs without use of a vehicle.

The development proposes an underground parkade with 178 parking spaces including 8 accessible stalls and 103 long-term storage and bicycle parking spaces.

However, staff noted two concerns with the project — traffic flow and neighbourhood fit.

“All traffic moving to and from the multi-family development will be restricted to access from the lane,” the report said.

Staff noted the standard two-way travel lane is six metres wide — giving enough space for two vehicles to pass each other — but the lane is just under five metres wide.

“The applicant is proposing to set the building so as to provide an additional 1.12 m to achieve a 6 m drive aisle width. However, the remainder of the lane to the east will still be too narrow to accommodate two-way traffic,” the report notes.

“This will potentially result in vehicles having to back up into First Avenue or Second Avenue or waiting on the main streets for vehicles to exit the lane.”

Staff noted no on-street parking is available adjacent to the site, as parking on Columbia and First isn’t allowed.

The report also noted the scale of the proposed development in relation to the surrounding neighbourhood.

“It will appear dramatically taller than anything else in the neighbourhood which primarily consists of heritage dwellings and low-level townhouses and apartments,” the report said.

However, staff noted the properties are located in an area of downtown that could “undergo a transition to higher density” in the future.

Developers hosted an open house for those living at Westview Village, a residential development located next to the proposed site.

According to developers, residents raised questions about parking impacts and brought forward concerns about construction impacts to the hillside integrity and the foundation of their building.

In the report, staff recommended council move the development proposal to a public hearing in order to gauge opinions from the community.

Council will discuss the proposal at their meeting, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Photo: City of Kamloops / Total Concept Developments Ltd.

On Tuesday, Kamloops council will review a development and rezoning application for Canary Lofts, a 141-unit apartment building proposed for Columbia Street and First Avenue.