Quesnel City Council approved four bylaw rezonings and construction on a “much-needed” new apartment building on Anderson Drive.
BC Housing proposed the project to Quesnel’s Council of a three-storey, 26-unit apartment building that will be located on 230 Anderson Drive. Right beside the Quesnel Elks Echen Hall and Two Rivers Church.
The residential apartment building was also designed specifically to have second-stage women’s transitional housing, defined by BC Housing as private, secure, and low-cost multi-unit residences.
“This is a project the Women’s Resource Center has had on the books for quite a while,” says Councillor Laurey–Anne Roodenburg.
“They’ve worked really hard to make it come to fruition, so to see this coming to council asking for variances on the actual building structure itself, knowing that it’s about to have shovels in the ground, is amazing.”
The three-storey apartment building required a development permit and rezoning bylaws adjusted to allow changes to Lot A District Lot 704’s floodplain. As well as reviewing main access ways, fencing, privacy screening, and gates for the building.
However, Tanya Turner, Director of Development Services for the City of Quesnel, says the Anderson Drive intersection’s barriers will not be removed, nor the intersection re-worked to allow access to the apartment building from Westbound traffic. Nor will the lane be accessed through Doherty Drive.
Westbound traffic will have to turn off, loop around, and backtrack to gain access to the building. Similar to access to the Church and Hall.
The ‘Front’ of the apartment building, facing Anderson Drive, will have access to the building via two walking lanes. The ‘Front’ is also proposed to have green space, trees, and fencing to provide privacy screening.
“They [the Women’s Resource Center] have had a lot of people go through their facility,” Councillor Roodenburg says. “Housing has always been a piece that they knew they needed to have for the women that they work with.”
“This is so important for the community,” says Councillor Scott Elliot, Acting Mayor for this meeting. “It’s always great to be moving forward on development, but especially this one. It’s great to give it the go-ahead to have shovels in the ground.”
The sidewalk in that section of Anderson Drive will also be reconstructed as part of the project.
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