The City of Duncan has issued a development permit for a five-storey, 54-unit assisted-living project for those 55 and older at 257 Evans St.
Of the 54 units, the proposal for the rental development includes 46 one-bedroom units and eight two-bedroom units.
The first storey would be at-grade parking incorporated within the building, with four storeys of residential units above.
Kyle Young, the city’s director of planning and sustainability, said in a report that some of the key features of the project’s development design include solar panels on the roof that will provide at least 10 per cent of building’s energy needs, increased building energy efficiency, electric-vehicle charging capacity, sustainable transportation infrastructure, public art and an abundance of native plant species.
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He said there are a number of intentional and inherent sustainability elements in the proposed development, including that it is ideally situated within downtown Duncan.
“That means the new residents in the development, which are anticipated to be approximately 80 people, will support existing businesses in the downtown area and encourage new commercial and business investments,” Young said.
“Second, the close proximity to Centennial Park and the full range of commercial services and amenities, like retail, leisure services, and health services, means that residents of the development are much more likely to walk or cycle to access those services rather than using high-carbon transportation options. Furthermore, the site is in close proximity to a number of transit routes.”
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At the council meeting on March 4, Coun. Garry Bruce noted that the project calls for 27 parking stalls, while the plan is to build 54 units.
“There’s not a parking stall for every unit, so where will the other 27 units park if they have vehicles?” Bruce asked.
Young said the city’s designs bylaw allows for smaller numbers of parking stalls based on the types of units that are constructed.
“If units are restricted to people aged 55 and older, there is a reduced parking requirement,” he said.
Before council discussed whether to issue a development permit for the project or not, Young pointed out that it is probably the best proposal he has ever seen in terms of its level of detail in its plans, and its conformance with a set of design principles and standards.
“It really sort of captures, in my view, most of the really critical parts of design standards,” he said.
“There’s always little things you might want to change in design but, overall, this is a very good proposal that conforms to the city’s design standards.”
