by Brenda Erskine, Planning Director
CHCA’s Planning Committee reviewed and commented on 12 development permit (DPs) and subdivision applications from January to April this year. Now, planning season seems to be over and building season has begun. Check out the flurry of foundation pours and framing in your neighbourhood!
One of the most interesting DPs we reviewed in March was a plan to renovate the existing Centre Street Auto building at 1005 Centre St. NW to an outdoor cafe and licensed restaurant, including a rooftop patio on the second level (DP2022-00478). Here are some of the comments we submitted to the applicant. It will be interesting to see if this one moves forward – more places to eat, but one less to fix your car.
We appreciate the design, as it fits with the neighbourhood. Our only concern is privacy. The rear second level deck needs screening on the extension section as it will have overlooking issues to the east.
The proposal is certainly an improvement on the service station frontage. It’s a lower cost improvement that will possibly be replaced when the value of the land gets maximized with four to five stories of living units in the future.
The front parking lot provides some true visual setback at ground level, and though it’s a parking lot, it provides a conversation/gathering space. The parking lot also keeps business traffic from parking on the ‘permit’ streets, and as well, traffic isn’t sniffing around a “back” parking lot attached to the alley, leading to unwanted encroachment into the neighbourhood.
We hope the development will look as clean and attractive as the renderings.
There is potential noise from rear HVAC units, so a wall might be better than a simple privacy screen to deter patio noise from bothering the neighbours.
In other planning news, we reviewed the draft Heritage Guidelines for the North Hill Community LAP. It’s difficult to define what makes a new development “fit” into a Heritage area. One thing we all agreed on – front porches make a difference to that neighbourhood feeling! When I wander around Crescent Heights, I notice many of the heritage homes are cookie cutter plans, purchased from Sears Roebuck and shipped by train to be assembled in our “new” neighbourhood in the 1920s. What makes them attractive now? A front or back lawn with trees, shrubs, and flowers; a brightly painted front door; a second story addition or new gable on the roof; old windows still intact. These houses have personalities, created by their owners over the decades. Will the new developments being slotted into the old lots have that same appeal in 100 years? I wonder…
