Construction of the final two towers of White Rock’s Miramar Village is expected to get underway next spring, following council support Monday for a bylaw authorizing amendments to the project’s original design.
Council voted 4-2 in favour of the bylaw, with Mayor Catherine Ferguson and Coun. Helen Fathers opposed, and Coun. Doug McLean absent.
The same vote resulted in final approval of the amended development permit for the project, at Johnston Road between Russell and Thrift avenues.
Bosa Properties officials applied last year for amendments to the towers, citing the economic downturn. They asked to increase the number of residential units; reduce the units’ sizes in order to make them more affordable; reduce commercial floor area (attributed to the loss of the government liquor store); and increase residential parking.
Explaining her votes, Ferguson said she was swayed by concerns expressed by residents of the first two towers. Impact on views was one of the biggest concerns expressed by residents who attended a May 9 public hearing. Many who spoke were also upset that amendments to the project had even been proposed – they invested in the original plans, they said.
Ferguson said after the meeting that while she supports the project itself, “I just felt I had to respect” the residents.
Fathers said she is worried about the impact an increase in the number of residential units will have on an already difficult traffic situation in the area