A seniors complex next to Port Moody’s Kyle Park that would allow residents to age in place even as their needs change “addresses a housing need” in the city.
But the proponents, Avenir Living and the Dulex Lailder Group, might want to consider moving the 12-storey residential tower back to the project’s west end so it wouldn’t loom over the surrounding neighbourhood.
Tuesday, July 23, council gave first reading to official community plan and bylaw amendments required for the proposal to proceed.
Several councillors, however, expressed concerns about the location of the tower that rises from a four-storey podium.
Even though the project’s architects, Zeidler Architecture, had already lopped two storeys from the original 14 in response to early feedback from council a year ago, a subsequent decision to move the tower to the east end of the property didn't go over as well. City staff had expressed concerns its shadow could shroud the adjacent park.
Coun. Kyla Knowles said the tower’s new location was causing consternation among neighbours and she successfully introduced an amendment that city staff work with the developers to return the tower to the west end of the site.
She said a little more shade over the park might actually be a good thing, although Port Moody’s general manager of community development, Kate Zanon, suggested such a shift could compromise a plan to dedicate part of the property to expand Kyle Park.
The complex includes 133 independent and assistant living suites that would be available at market rents, as well as 48 community care units and 48 memory care units.
Previously, Avenir principal Jason Craik said the mix of apartments would allow residents to stay in the building should their needs for more complex care change. He suggested the rent for a typical full-service suite might be around $5,000 a month.
Coun. Samantha Agtarap said the proposal addresses a need for seniors housing in Port Moody, although Coun. Amy Lubik worried the cost might be too high for some prospective residents.
“I could change my mind if I see spaces for seniors of all incomes,” she said, adding it would also be nice if the complex could include spaces that can be accessed by seniors from across the community.
Couns. Haven Lurbiecki and Diana Dilworth questioned whether the project’s mix of a 12-storey tower and four-storey podium conforms to new provincial housing legislation that mandates zoning for at least eight storeys in the neighbourhood, given its proximity to mass transit.
But Zanon said the developer’s interpretation that the proposal averages eight-storeys seems “reasonable” and “worth entertaining” in the spirit and intent of the legislation. Otherwise, she cautioned, the alternative could be an eight-storey structure across the breadth of the site.
Mayor Meghan Lahti said nearby amenities like restaurants and a liquor store make the location ideal for seniors housing and with a Bosa Foods grocery store on nearby St. Johns Street also in the works, she hopes more such facilities and services for a wider demographic of seniors might follow.
“If this moves forward, perhaps we can create some synergies around that type of housing in the area,” she said.
