Attachment 3: Letter from Joe Newell Architect re: Proposed Rental Residential Development

RE: PROPOSED RENTAL RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AT 450 SIX MILE ROAD, VIEW ROYAL.

Dear Mayor Screech and Members of Council,

This letter is for the purpose of explaining the details of our Development Permit application to the Town of View Royal for 60 rental residential units, on Lot 2 of the Lakeside Village Development, situated at 450 Six Mile Road.

The Lakeside Village area is designated as “Neighbourhood Mixed Use” with the objective of establishing a compact central neighbourhood with a mix of housing types and services. The neighbourhood is zoned CD-9 Comprehensive Development (Lakeside Village) and this is the final development site in the area, with an allowable density of 60 units based on the averaging of density between the other residential sites which are part of this specific development zone. The project site is zoned Sub-Zone CD-9A, Mixed Tourist/Retail Commercial and Residential. Public infrastructure for the site is in place, with new service connections in the street and roadways in place.

The site is accessed off Six Mile Road and fronts onto both Six Mile Road and Presley Place. To the south, across Presley Place, is the recently completed Lakeside Village commercial development and to the north is the Trans Canada Highway.

This project comprises a 51-unit apartment building and a 9 unit apartment separated by a right-of-way which can not be built on. The right-of-way is used as a driveway to access the under building parking. The buildings have been designed to step up the sloped site. Building A has 2 levels of underground parking, with separate entrances to take advantage of the grades. Visitor parking is provided in the central main entrance courtyard. Building B has a small parkade beneath it, with visitor parking provided outside the security gate. The apartment units are orientated south, away from the noise and lights of the adjacent highway, and towards the views of Esquimalt Harbour which will be visible from the upper floors.

The buildings are designed to complement the surrounding developments with gently sloped roofs, stained and textured fiber cement siding, cedar trellises and cedar patio screens. The rooftop mechanical unit will be screened from the highway and from the surrounding streets. It is hoped that a small grouping of garry oaks can be preserved, but this will depend on the extent of excavation and blasting that is required on the upper slopes of the site. The remainder of the site will be landscaped with native and drought resistant plants. The facades are broken up with balconies and corner window features, with clerestory windows to the upper floors where the roof is vaulted. Cedar trellises are used to highlight entrances and upper floor living areas.

The project conforms to the Official Community Plan recommendations for this site and to the requirements of the Comprehensive Development Sub-Zone CD-9A. The intent of the project is to provide quality rental housing for couples and families, with 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, many of which also have small dens. The current trend for rental units is for very small studio suites for young working singles: these proposed apartment units represent a return to well proportioned residential units aimed at families and couples. With the neighbouring parks, trails, library, recreation centre, and school, as well as ease of access to the highway and nearby commercial centres, the site is an ideal location for this type of rental residential accommodation, being close to all the services that either a family, or young or older couple would require.

We are requesting no variances for this project.

We trust that this letter provides you with the information you require at this time, but please contact the undersigned at 250-382-1320 if you should have any further questions.

Yours sincerely,

JOE NEWELL ARCHITECT INC

Joe Newell Architect AIBC