Nutak Holdings Ltd. has passed a hurdle in getting approvals for a new three-storey building to be developed at 380 First St., which will eventually serve as head office for Crozier Consulting Engineers.
On Tuesday night (Oct. 11), the development and operations standing committee unanimously supported a recommendation to approve a site plan control agreement for the property.
During discussions on the file, Coun. Deb Doherty noted the project was attractive for the community.
“I can hazard a guess that this will up the bar for commercial applications in the community,” said Doherty. “Generally I’m not in support of cash in lieu of parkland, but with this particular project there is clearly a significant improvement to the landscape.”
“I have no concern there,” she said.
The developer is proposing a three-storey commercial office building with a gross floor area of 2,000 square metres with 60 surface parking spaces and bicycle parking. The building will also feature an energy-efficient design and a "green roof."
The property previously contained a car wash and restaurant. A demolition permit was issued for the existing buildings in November 2021. The project was granted an interim control bylaw exemption on March 21, although it is anticipated the new use will require no additional water capacity beyond what was previously used for the site (18 single dwelling unit’s worth of water).
Coun. Yvonne Hamlin said she was happy to see a project “of this high calibre” proposed for the location.
Coun. Kathy Jeffery noted she appreciated that the build would mark a shift toward having parking behind the building with the lot entrance on Walnut St. rather than adjacent to First St.
The committee unanimously approved the recommendation to approve the site plan control agreement for the property. The decision will need to be ratified at the next meeting of council on Oct. 17 before going into effect.
UPDATE: Council unanimously approved the recommendation at their Oct. 17 regular meeting.
