Royal Bay secondary will, before long, have new neighbours – a lot of them.
The procedural foundation is being poured on the first 118 single-family homes and 80 townhouses in the new Royal Bay development. The project is moving through a handful of re-zoning applications in advance of breaking ground on phase one of Colwood’s newest neighbourhood.
“(The moves were) really to catch rezoning up with the Official Community Plan, and deal with small increases in roof height to accommodate new funky house designs and gable-style roofing that will bring some character into the neighbourhood,” said Colwood Coun. Gordie Logan. “It also dealt with increasing the square footage with commercial uses and some minor setback requirements based on the new lot layouts.”
Gable roofing, a triangular, slightly higher-pitched style planned for some of the structures, was in line with the neighbourhood plan. An increased commercial component was also a fit. While increasing revenues for the city, it paves the way for a building that will provide amenities for the school and future Colwood residents.
“We envision ‘quick-service’ outlets; not a McDonald’s, but probably something upscale more in keeping with Royal Bay’s values in terms of green funky shops,” Logan said.
Rezoning is expected to go to fourth reading at an upcoming council meeting. B.C. Investment Management Corporation, which owns the former gravel pit area at Royal Bay, is expected to come forward with a more comprehensive rezoning application for the entirety of the project in 2016.
“This current application covers off the initial phase of residential houses … We expect a larger scale-rezoning application,” Logan said. “As soon as we give fourth reading (BCIMC), will be framing pretty darn quickly.”
alim@goldstreamgazette.com