By paNOW

West Hill development project facing hurdles

Sep 3, 2014 | 12:39 AM

A residential complex’s development may be facing a significant delay after the members of Prince Albert’s city council prevented the approval of a major change to a servicing agreement.

The existing agreement between the City and Triple R Ventures Ltd. only covers Woodbridge Estates, which has already been built and is occupied along 28th Street West, but not Woodbridge Manor, which has not yet been constructed. Triple R Ventures Ltd. maintains that it needs the agreement to be extended to cover the Woodbridge Manor development in order to continue its construction.

On Monday, the executive committee did not recommendation to council to allow the change to go through. The denial came after a lengthy discussion about various problems the current configuration of the development could pose once completed and occupied.

Developer Joe Remai addressed the committee prior to its decision. He asked for the servicing agreement to be approved so his firm could have “wiggle room” in case the cold weather closes in.

Remai told the committee that he also couldn’t get the building permit without the amendment to the servicing agreement. 

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He is also calling on members of council to approve a bylaw amendment that would allow his development to proceed with balconies.

“For whatever reason … we find that when we applied for this building, we are limited by a bylaw that says that we can only extend into the side yard two feet with our balconies,” Remai said. The current configuration does not conform with the City’s bylaws.

As city manager Jim Toye explained, the first phase, Woodbridge Estates met the current bylaw’s standards. But when Phase 2, Woodbridge Manor, came along, the shape of the building had changed.

“The rules and regulations were different because it was no longer a corner lot, it was an interior lot,” Toye said.

The City discussed this with Remai, who agreed to ensure his development complies with the bylaws and not include the balconies in the permit applications.

Administration let Remai know that it could be possible later in the construction phase to build balconies that protruded into the side yards, with council’s consent.

But the placement of the entrance to the underground parking lot is also a source of concern, particularly for residents of the neighbouring Woodbridge Estates.

A number of residents were on hand at the executive committee meeting, represented by their condo association’s president. He asked the developer to consider “turning” the building so the entrance to the underground lot would no longer face the Woodbridge Estates front entrance.

“I just can’t see this working the way it sits at the present time,” Coun. Don Cody said. He went to the site on Tuesday to evaluate the situation. “It does not look as though bringing in the garage door the way it’s set now is feasible. There just isn’t enough … room for the parked vehicles and for the other vehicles. It simply isn’t in the cards as far as I’m concerned.”

Coun. Mark Tweidt, however, said telling the developer to change his plans “mid-flight” when it’s getting close to the end of construction season wouldn’t be the right decision. But he asked Remai to consider moving the entrance to the other side of the building.

This month’s deputy mayor, Coun. Ted Zurakowski, told the committee that he hates red tape as much as the next person, but sometimes there’s a reason for it. “And I’ve learned from past experiences, where, you know what, maybe we do need to make sure that permit’s done or that certification has been applied for and granted by the City.”

Prior to the servicing agreement vote, Triple R Ventures was expected to move ahead with the building permitting process on Wednesday.

On the Spanwest website, the expected occupancy date is listed as the summer of 2015.

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames