A proponent for a new seniors residence in Port Moody near the Kyle Community Centre says the project is at “the end of the road” after council voted Tuesday to refer the proposal to staff instead of sending it on to a public hearing.
Bill Laidler, of local development company Dulex Laidler Group that’s working on the project with Avenir Senior Living, said after more than 2.5 years of work that included six presentations to council and committees along with “hundreds of thousands of dollars invested into design and city fees,” time has run out as its options to purchase properties for the 194-unit complex at the corner of St. George and Mary streets expire in November.
Jason Craik, a principal at Avenir, said the mix of 46 privately owned condos, 100 full-service independent or assisted-living rental units and 48 community or memory care units would provide a continuum of care for Port Moody’s aging population as residents would be able to progress from living totally independently to the other units as their needs change.
Craik said the condo units and full-service rental units that typically go for about $5,000 a month in the company’s other projects in Port Coquitlam, White Rock and Esquimalt would appeal to PoMo seniors downsizing from family homes.
And while he’d previously characterized the facility would be “like living on a cruise ship” during a presentation to council’s city initiatives and planning committee in July, he said on Tuesday “it’s not luxury seniors living.”
Rather, Craik said, seniors with the resources to afford living at an Avenir facility would be freeing up spaces in government-supported homes.
But Coun. Amy Lubik said she couldn’t get past the perception of exclusivity.
“In my mind this is a really expensive place,” she said. “I can’t support it if it doesn’t meet the current needs of our seniors for affordable housing.”
Other councillors agreed with city staff that the project’s 14 storeys plus a four-storey podium along St. George Street is too dense and too tall for the neighbourhood, which is comprised mostly of single-family homes.
“To allow this sort of density in this location would set a bad precedent,” said Coun. Kyla Knowles.
“We’ve heard from community members that they don’t support 14 storeys,” added Coun. Diana Dilworth.
In a report presented to council, planning consultant Gary Penway said staff has been working with the developer to try to reduce the project’s size and density or move it elsewhere.
But Craik said neither option is financially feasible.
“We’ve looked and we cannot compete with other condo developers.”
Penway said though council got its first formal look at the project just three months ago, the imminently expiring purchase agreements for properties forced the developer to request an expedited timeline for decisions on necessary amendments to the city’s official community plan and zoning bylaws.
That rankled several councillors.
In fact, Coun. Diana Dilworth called the request “very bold.”
She suggested attaining OCP and zoning amendments in only six months is unrealistic.
“If that means the applicant will pick up its proposal and go somewhere else, then I’m sorry that’s what happens at the end of the day.”
Mayor Meghan Lahti said the developer’s intransigence to making any substantive changes since it first presented its proposal didn’t do the project any favours.
“If the proponent had come back to us with something that indicated they’re listening to us, I’d be more inclined to push this through to public hearing,” she said.
“It’s about give and take.”
