The Village of Pemberton (VOP) greenlit a covenant requiring mixed-use housing for the upcoming Parkside housing development at an Oct. 22 council meeting.
Under the covenant, the developer, Rivertown (Pemberton) Nominee Ltd., Inc, can only build 16 single-family houses out of 33 lots.
The municipality isn’t obligated to issue building permits for the project unless the developer complies with the terms and conditions of the development agreement, according to Appendix B of the zoning amendment bylaw.
The covenant was a point of disagreement amongst councillors throughout the summer, with some fearing requiring a developer to create mixed-use housing would impede development, and others saying the community needs a diversity of housing to meet its needs.
Staff was directed in early October to meet with Rivertown and determine whether a covenant would pose problems for the developer.
The VOP’s development services manager, Scott McRae, explained the developer wanted to get the ball rolling and would handle potential issues if they come up.
“Staff met with the applicants, and they were prepared to accept the terms of the covenant to restrict single-family homes," McRae said. Their position is that it's better to move on and get moving on this—that’s more valuable than the potential risks of the covenant."
The developer will hold on to the option to come back to the negotiation table later, should the covenant prove problematic.
Councillor Ted Craddock asked whether there was a standard operating procedure should the covenant need to be reviewed.
“Either party has the opportunity to revisit the terms at any time,” McRae said. "Staff would prepare a report for council to consider, with factors like housing needs and markets potentially changing, or already having a broad mix of diverse housing which could influence a future decision to remove the covenant."
The Parkside project would develop land near Den Duyf Park, and the proposal includes a 33-lot subdivision with housing spanning duplexes and triplexes, co-housing and single-family homes.
