Attachment 2. Jasmine Construction Ltd. Variance Request Letter
A letter from the developer explaining the technical reasons for the variance request, including driveway steepness and water management risks.
July 24, 2021
Town of View Royal Development Services 45 View Royal Ave. Victoria, B.C. V9B 1AG
Dear Mayor and Council members,
Re: Lot 1, 373 Island Hwy
We are requesting a Development Variance Permit for Lot -1, 373 Island Hwy. This lot is 664.1 sq. meters and has been approved for a single-family home with a suite.
The reason for the Variance request relates to how the property was developed. The developer has divided a larger property into several lots and the original home remains on one of the lots.
As part of the development permit the developer has put drain easement in the back of the property and under the development permit, they have also installed a water management system.
As this property has significant elevation changes in the natural grade, the calculated average grade of 12.08m is too low for the main floor and causing the following issues.
- The existing driveway is 2.3m above the potential main floor of the house as per calculation done by the surveyors using dimensions from the natural existing grade.
- At 12.08 m average grade the drain easement is 2.2 m higher than the main floor of the home.
- The water management system also presents a risk of flooding into the home.
- If the house is built on an average grade of 12.08m, the 3 sides of the house will be 1.5m below the existing natural grade to the next-door house.
We are requesting that the average grade of the building envelope be increased from 12.08m to 13.53m. By increasing the grade to 13.53m we would eliminate the risk of flooding from the drain easement and the water management system. We also would be able to have a slight negative slope for existing driveway. If the house is built on a 13.53m average grade it will be more aesthetically pleasing and complement the existing homes on the neighboring lots, it will also be more attractive from the main road.
Thank you
Harminder Dhanowa Jasmine Construction Ltd.
