City Council adds Seniors Housing requirement and development timeline covenants to Graham Avenue land sale

City Council has voted to sell a parcel
of land on Graham Avenue to developers
The Bryton Group, but added a number
of covenant items to the sale.

The Bryton Group will be facing some new requirements when it comes to moving forward with their plans for development of land in the Graham Avenue area.

The latest twist in a long running discussion on land use in the west side neighbourhood came after Prince Rupert City Council added a number of covenant items to the plan to sell a parcel of land to the developer.

The new covenants to be put in place were introduced by Councillors Thorkelson and Cunningham as part of Monday's council session.

By the time the final comment had been made and the back and forth of discussion had come to an end, Council had put in place what it called their only tool available at the moment, as they looked to ensure that the wishes of the City and the area residents would be heard by the developer.

From their deliberations on Monday a number of additional conditions have been put in place when it comes to the land sale, with the main focus directed towards Council's reinforcement of its desire to see a Seniors Housing condo unit included in the development plan as part of the covenant package related to the sale of the land to the Bryton Group. 

Along with that key element, Council will place a number of timeline benchmarks that the developer will have to meet when it comes to the long discussed property development on the west side.

The lengthy Monday night session featured two distinct sections to the discussion, the first through a forty four minute public comment opportunity provided to residents in attendance at the Council session, with eleven participants taking advantage of the Committee of the Whole Session to express their concerns related to the land sale and development plans for he neighbourhood.

When the minutes of both the Public comment opportunity and follow up Council session are added up the Graham Avenue land issue grabbed over one hour and forty minutes of the two and a half hour Council session.

The nature of the way that the issue was approached by Council on Monday however, seemed to provide the image of two competing sets of lectures, one from the residents of the neighbourhood, the other by members of City Council.

Despite the lengthy amount of time allocated towards the topic, there were actual few moments where each side actually engaged with each other on the many issues that seemed to dominate Monday's discussion.

Of the eleven residents who spoke, ten offered up a list of issues that they wished the city to consider,  among the key concerns were:

The use and timing of the Alternate Approval Process, with some noting that many were away during the summer and calling for a full public hearing in September.

A belief that the City was selling the land at a fire sale price, suggesting to Council that if the City has to sell a piece of land to move a housing development forward then maybe they have the wrong developer in place.

Lack of information provided to the area's residents related to what the proposed development will look like.

A need to respect the long time residents of the neighbourhood and respect their wishes.

Concerns related to increased traffic and the impact on the vulnerable road and sewer infrastructure in the Graham/Atlin Avenue area.

Only one participant in the public comment period offered unqualified support for the project, with Realtor and Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce President Keith Lambourne offering up his observations on the need for more housing in the community and a desire to see some shovels finally hit the ground when it comes to housing proposals.

To try and provide some clarity on the issue of land valuations, Kevin Stunder, who has provided some consultation work on behalf of the Bryton Group offered up some insight as to how the land valuation had been determined.

Once the public comment period had been exhausted, the topic would return later in the evening as part of Council's Regular Agenda, when Council members weighed in for a fifty six minute discussion on the theme,

Councillors Niesh and Mirau provided the opening conversation points as they relayed a range of thoughts when it came to the concerns raised by the public.

Councillor Niesh who noted that he had wished that the Graham Avenue residents had stayed through the Council session to hear his thoughts, noting that he had listened to their presentations earlier in the session.

He then recounted some of his findings from a nine hour tour of the Graham Avenue area on Saturday.

From his study he offered up findings that indicated a split for the most part in the neighbourhood on the issue of the land sale and proposed housing development.

From Mr. Niesh's account he observed that 23 had agreed with the proposed development, 5 against it while 7 were considered neutral. On the issue of the land sale, 20 were in favour of selling it, with six stating that they were against the sale. 

The councillor also offered up his belief that some of the residents appeared to have felt pressured by their neighbours to sign the AAP.

Councillor Niesh also observed that he believes that the City could have done more to inform the residents of the area about the land sale and the AAP approach that the city had decided to use.

Councillor Blair Mirau had many challenges
to offer when it came to Monday's decision
to install covenants to a land sale on the
west side of the city

Those comments related to how the City had approached the issue was something that Councillor Mirau challenged, noting that he believed that there was some misinformation delivered to the community by area residents, a campaign that he said was hard for the City to counter.

He also reminded Council of the city's approach to the efforts that the city made to inform the public, including a video which he hosted explaining the AAP process.

As well, on the theme of misinformation, Councillor Mirau noted that while he lives in the Section Two area, he had not been invited to a meeting related to the land issue, suggesting that organizers had purposely chosen not to invite him, perhaps knowing that he would offer a different perspective.

As they moved through the fifty six minutes of discussion on the issue, other Councillors weighed in, with both Councillors Cunningham and Randhawa noting that they believed that the valuation of the land was low.

Councillor Thorkelson returned to a theme she had raised with the residents earlier in the evening, noting that while she acknowledged that many of the residents felt strongly about  the development, they appeared to be using the land sale issue as another way to try and influence the developer into doing what they believe was promised back in the past.

She observed that the input from the residents puts the focus back on the issue of the wish to see a Seniors housing condo located in the area, reminding council that such a project was something that she had been advocating in favour of for a number of years.

The Mayor also noted that the residents were not saying no to development, but that the issue of Seniors Housing was something that many residents of the Graham Avenue area consider to be something that had been originally promised when the area was first proposed for development.

Mayor Brain observed that through additional steps added to the land sale, the City is providing some assurance to the residents that they are working to achieve that goal, using the only tool they have at the moment to deliver it. 

The debate entered the home stretch with Councillor Mirau and Councillor Thorkelson exchanging thoughts on the concepts of private property rights, compared to collective rights, with Councillor Mirau expressing his concerns as to how any property developer may view such last minute covenants and how it could have an impact on how any developer views their plans in Prince Rupert.

To bring the motion to a vote, Council then heard the covenant proposals that both Councillor Cunningham and Thorkelson had originally offered up for consideration earlier in the evening.

Councillor Cunningham making his
final points on the Graham Avenue
land sale

Councillor Thorkelson responding
to some of Councillor Mirau's concerns
on Monday evening

In his closing remarks, Councillor Cunningham echoed some of thoughts of Councillor Niesh from earlier in the session, noting that the covenants will try to reach the original intent of the project and should help to move the proposed development forward, noting that there has been little progress so far and how the time lines should help spur on the project.

After the final comments were delivered, and with a bit of last minute tweaking towards the final draft of the covenants to be put in place Council voted to 6-1 to adopt the motion, with Councillor Mirau noting that he was in favour of the land sale but strongly registering his opposition to the covenant provisions.

With the motion passed, the following conditions will be put in place when it comes to the sale of the Graham Avenue land.

The construction of the site be completed in full by December 31st of 2019

A percentage of not less than thirty percent of the total number of units be solely dedicated for seniors and provisioned with wheelchair accessibility,

A development permit must be obtained by December 31st of 2017.

And should any of the provisions within the covenant not be met in full within the time lines as specified, the City of Prince Rupert shall have the right to take back the lands previously sold at a rate of the original sale price at appraised value less twenty percent for administration costs.

The evening made for a fascinating, if at times somewhat tiring review, of how local government in the community moves. Any resident looking to learn more about how a number of conflicting views on a controversial issue get thrashed out in Council chambers, should give Monday's session a viewing.

You can review our full overview of both the Public Hearing and following Council discussion through our Council Timeline feature.

The two segments can also be reviewed from the City's Video Archive, the Public hearing section can be found starting at the 26 minute mark, while Council's deliberations on the motion can be followed starting at the one hour thirty two minute mark.



Some past background on the long running discussions related to the Graham/Park Avenue development plans can be found below.

July 2016 -- City set to move on land issue off Graham after AAP results released
May 2016 -- City to make use of Alternate Approval Process for Graham Avenue Land sale
January 2016 -- Council pulls west side road closure bylaw from Agenda consideration

July 2015 -- Concerns over Graham Avenue Road extension dominate Park Avenue Public Hearing
July 2015 -- Park Avenue Housing Development to get Second Public Hearing
June 2015 -- Park Avenue proposal receives petition push back
June 2015 -- Councillor Thorkelson looks to include Senior's Housing in Park Avenue Development planning
April 2015 -- Public Meeting scheduled regarding Park Avenue Housing rezoning issue
March 2015 -- Proposed West Side Housing Development moves to public notification stage
March 2015 -- Council to consider Zoning issues related to proposed housing development off of Park Avenue

March 2014 -- Council takes Graham Avenue Condo project to public comment phase
February 2014 -- City considers townhouse development for Graham Avenue area


More items related to City Council discussions can be found on our Council Discussion page.

SD52 set to close deal for Kanata School Property

All that remains to  done to close
a deal on the sale of the
Kanata School lands
is a successful rezoning proposal

The School District is working towards the final stages of a long sought after sale of their Kanata School property, with the Board of Education noting that they have a conditional sale in place pending approval of a rezoning from public use to multi-family residential use.

If approved by the City, the school building would be demolished and work would commence on a new housing development in the area bordered by Frederick Street, Ottawa Avenue, Crestview Drive and the new Quickload Terminals yard.

The property which has sat unused for a number of years, was closed during the School District's consolidation of the schools of 2008, which saw two schools, Kanata and Seal Cove shuttered on the east side.

The Kanata property to this point is the only one from that round of closures that the School District has been able to move forward through a sale process, though there have been challenges along the way.

The most recent movement from the School District to sell the land began in late 2014, with confirmation from the Ministry of Education to allow for the sale received earlier this year.  Once they had the go ahead from Education Minister Peter Fassbender, SD52 put the property back on the market in May.

Such was their determination to move their plan forward that SD52 officials recently appeared at a City of Prince Rupert zoning hearing, seeking to express their thoughts on the zoning changes proposed for the old Canadian Freightways yard.

School District 52 will be seeking a
zoning change for the Kanata School
property to finish off their land sale

With SD52 outlining their fears that a zoning change to allow Quickload Terminals to relocate to the site, could have had a negative impact on their efforts.

That hearing provided for a bit of a controversial exchange between City Council and the School District, with Council in the end choosing to not accept the School District's views on the impact of the Canadian Freightways  property development, related to the Kanata property concerns.

Following that April session, the School District didn't hide their disappointment in the approach of the city towards their concerns.

Of interest from those days of the Canadian Freightways public hearing, is the commentary from Mr. David McWalter a participant at those hearings.

At the time he appeared with the Quickload group and noted during  that session that he was also representing another group in the community interested in purchasing the Kanata School site, adding that he didn't believe that the zoning issues from the Quckload application would have a negative impact on the Kanata land values.

And while he did not identify the Bryton Group at that time as the other group, Mr. McWalter is also working with that developer, and it would seem that his comments related to the future sale for Kanata seemed to carry some weight towards the end of the process.

With the sale announcement now made, the successful bidder has been identified as the Bryton Group, which is currently involved with the Park Avenue housing proposal and is also engaged with a number proposed developments in the Northwest, including a new hotel complex planned for the Kitimat area.

The final sale price was not disclosed as part of the School District update from the June 9th Board meeting, but the listing price with Royal Lepage had the property on the market for $975,000 dollars.

Considering that disappointment of just a few months ago, the rezoning application for the land should find no trouble moving forward from City Council, which one imagines would welcome the development of more housing lots within the city limits.

As part of their  Highlights from the June 9th Board Meeting the School District noted that the proposed rezoning is consistent with the designation of the property in the City's Official Community Plan.

An excerpt on the Kanata School poperty
taken from the School District 52 notes related to their
June 9th Board of Education meeting

The School District previously outlined that the Board of Education would determine how the money received from the sale should be allocated through the District.

For more items related to Housing issues in the region see our archive page here, we also have more background on School District 52 items available here.

In Prince Rupert; Housing approvals, don't always mean housing starts

The state of housing stock is back on the radar in Prince Rupert, thanks to last week's notes out of School District 52 and the prospect of the Board Chair set to deliver a letter of disappointment to the City.

That correspondence related to a situation which has seen the proposed developer of a large scale development of the Kanata School lands for housing walking away from the deal.

With the Bryton Group now officially turning away from the proposed Kanata development, it has once again put the focus on the rather limited success so far for this Council of delivering on their ambitions for affordable housing units in the community.

As we outlined on the blog last week, the School District called attention to the issue as part of their March 6th School District meeting, setting the stage for some push back on the theme from one City Council member.

In response to the Kanata issue, Councillor Blair Mirau made use of his Facebook page to outline his disappointment in the School District's view that the City may be responsible for the developer walking away from the project.

The Councillor also used his social media stream to  showcase some of the numbers that the City has promoted when it comes to approvals for property development in the community, noting how Council had approved 315 new residential units for development.

As the Councillor would quickly discover through the comments portion of his post , those who read his Facebook notes, also have taken some time to look around town and noted that of those 315 approvals,  few have turned into anything resembling a housing start as of yet.

With the most recent public City Council session having taken place this past Monday, the opportunity for others on City Council to offer up a bit of a public rebuttal towards the School District's disappointment was available for those in attendance.

However, during the course of the forty minute Council session this week, the theme of housing never made it into the discussion among the city's councillors, with no mention made of the School District concerns over the issue.

To get a bit of perspective on the large discrepancy between approvals and development, we took a tour around the city over the last few days to examine many of the areas where the City had allowed for proposals to move forward, looking to see if any progress has been made whether it be in the often desire goal of affordable housing in the city.

Of those 315 or so approved units, to this point the total number of completed, or near completed units stands at 21.

The three completed projects make for an increase in the city's housing stock, though to this point it would appear that it's the high end developments that have had the most success in working their way towards a completion date.

 Kanata School Land proposal

The now terminated land sale which created all of last week's back and forth between the School District and the Council member, had been offering a much anticipated boost to the city's housing stocks.

However, progress stalled as the process  became bogged down related to a number of zoning issues as the City provided for areas of note that it wished to see developed as part of the housing proposal.

As our timeline below indicates, the last public comment related to the Kanata lands question came in October 19th of 2016, the next mention of the topic not heard until the School District's meeting of March of this year.

Our notes on the Kanata process, as well as the Quickload Lands process which provided for some of the early disputes between the City and School District can be reviewed below:

2018

March 9 -- In final year of their mandate, City Council's list of Feuds continues to grow
March 9 -- Kanata land issue, School calendar for 2018-19 make for dominant themes from March School District 52 meeting

2017

No items

2016

October 19 -- City looks to finalize lease with Quickload Terminals for east side land

January 18 -- Zoning delay on Kanata lands has School District seeking answers from City of Prince Rupert
March 7 -- Kanata School land question back in front of Council tonight
Mach 9 -- Kanata School land zoning question is deferred once again, set to return for March 21st session

2015

December 9 -- Kanata School land zoning review to be delayed until January

September 2 -- East side residents to get first look at Kanata school property housing proposals next week
August 20 -- Housing issues again dominate Council's attention, leading to some heated discussion

July 23 -- Kanata school lands rezoning sparks more discussion at Council
July 20 --  Council to move on Kanata School rezoning tonight

June 13 -- SD52 set to close deal for Kanata School Property

May 16 -- Location, Location, Location! SD52 puts Kanata School property on the market

April 17 -- Prince Rupert Council may have some fences to mend with the School District
April 16 -- Despite concerns from School District 52, Prince Rupert Council moves Quickload Terminals rezoning forward
April 13 -- Rezoning review for old Canadian Freightways Yard goes to Public Hearing tonight

March 31 -- Quickload shift to old Canadian Freightways yard heads for public hearing stage


*****************************************************************************

Park Avenue housing proposal

Proposed by the Bryton Group, the same developer of the now abandoned Kanata School project, the first of the major property decisions by Prince Rupert City Council still seems somewhat stalled,with little more than a bit of land clearing to this point taking place for the west side development.

As was the case with their work on the Kanata file, the Bryton group found a number of city directed requirements included, as part of the approval process for the project.


2016

August 8 -- Graham Avenue land sale gains a bit of out of town attention

July 29 -- City Council adds Seniors Housing requirement and development timeline covenants to Graham Avenue land sale
July 20 -- City Council puts focus on Alternative Approval results as topic for Special Council session tonight
July 18 -- City set to move on land issue off Graham Avenue after AAP results released

January 28 -- Council pulls west side road closure bylaw from Agenda consideration

2015

July 8 -- Concerns over Graham Avenue road extension dominate Park Avenue Public Hearing
July 6 -- City Council to take second shot at zoning issues on Park Avenue development with Public Hearing tonight
July 2 -- Park Avenue Housing Development to get Second Public Hearing

June 25 -- Park Avenue proposal receives petition push back
June 12 -- Councillor Thorkelson looks to include Senior's Housing in Park Avenue Development planning
June 25 -- Park Avenue proposal receives petition push back

April 3 -- Public meeting scheduled regarding Park Avenue Housing rezoning issues

March 31 -- Proposed West Side housing development moves to public notification stage

March 23 -- Council to consider zoning issues related to proposed housing development off of Park Avenue



*****************************************************************************

Stiles Place Condo proposal

The proposed condominium/office development made for one of the larger battles among City Council members, with a range of opinions on what should, or should not be included in the proposed housing component.

The passing in August of 2016 of Dr. Frank Pyde, one of the proponents of the development may have had some impact on plans to move the project forward.


2015

December 9 -- Despite some opposition during Public Hearing process, Council approves zoning change for Stiles Place Development
December 4 -- City to host Public Hearing on Sitles Place condo development

November 25 -- Stiles Place Development to go to Public Hearing with new zoning designation
November 23 -- Council to revisit Height restrictions in downtown area, as well as proposed Sitles Place Development

July 23 -- Councillor Thorkelson outlines concerns related to Downtown condo proposal
July 20 -- First glimpse of proposed development for Stiles Place/Bill Murray Way 

June 25 -- Proposed condo development offers dramatic shift to downtown housing options
June 12 -- Councillor Thorkelson looks to include Seniors Housing in Park Avenue Development planning



*****************************************************************************

First Avenue West development 

One of the two multi unit proposals that has almost made it to the finish line is this development on First Avenue West, which will add three more residential units to the inventory, though with a harbour view, the price point may be a bit beyond the reach of those seeking affordable accommodation in the city.


2017

October 16 -- Council to get first glimpse of proposed triplex for First Avenue West



*****************************************************************************

Van Arsdol Street Homes development

One property development which faced little in the way of Council discussion and no delay from concept to completion, was the Van Arsdol Residences project.

A four plex of high end homes on the west side of the City.

Built by Aurora Homes, the homes are located in much the same area as the city's high end real estate, the four units also come with a top end price tag, ranging from the 549,000 to 619,000 dollar mark.


2018

January 30 -- Combined listing prices of Van Arsdol properties tops Two million dollars


*****************************************************************************

Prince Rupert Boulevard/Drake Crescent proposal

Proposed by Auroral homes,  the same developer as the Van Arsdol project, the proposed multi family development for the lot near along Prince Rupert Boulevard and Drake Crescent has yet to move forward.

The developer did indicate that with the completion of his west side project, he would now be turning his attention to the larger one on the east side of the city, with hopes of starting the Drake Crescent project this spring.

2016

July 29 -- Drake Crescent housing development gains Council approval
July 19 -- Zoning plans for Prince Rupert Boulevard land go to public hearing Monday

February 24 -- Drake Crescent zoning decision deferred until March session
February 15 -- Public Hearing for East side housing proposal set for February 22nd

January 29 -- Drake Crescent housing proposal to go to Public Hearing in late February
January 25 -- Proposed Housing Development for Drake Crescent on the Agenda for tonight's council session

2015

November 25 -- Council moves zoning change process ahead for Prince Rupert Boulevard proposal




*****************************************************************************

Metlakatla Elders/Seniors proposal

The Metlakatla proposal was another project which received little in the way of discussion from City council, with the development given the green light in as short a period of time as possible.

And while there are no forms put in place yet, some site clearing has taken place to indicate progress continues for the much anticipated addition to the the requirements of Prince Rupert's seniors population.

2017

June 29 -- Council praises Metlakatla Development Corporation's Elders/Seniors Housing initiative as template for other developers
June 26 -- Metlakatla's Elders/Seniors project to be main focus for Council tonight
June 20 -- Council moves two Senior's housing proposals further ahead

May 4 -- Metlakatla Elders/Seniors complex heads towards public overview
April 21 -- City to consider old King Edward School site for Senior's Housing proposal at Monday's meeting

2016

June 10 -- King Edward School site the focus of upcoming forum on Seniors Housing and Health

*****************************************************************************

Neptune Inn Seniors proposal

The other project directed towards those in their Senior years is that for the old Neptune Inn site, which after a few items of concern for City Council were sorted out, also move quickly through approval stage.  

So far however, the pace towards an opening seems to have slowed a bit, with the building featuring new windows and siding, as well as some interior work

2017

May 12 -- Most on City Council show enthusiasm for renovation plans for old Neptune Inn
June 20 -- Council moves two Senior's housing proposals further ahead

March 27 -- April date set for Public Information session on Neptune Inn conversion proposal 

January 11 -- Council moves forward with Neptune Inn plan for Seniors Housing
January 6 -- Details on proposed Seniors Housing project for Neptune site to be reviewed by Council

2015

June 12 -- Former residents of Neptune Inn find housing for now

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Mountain View Estates project 

The redevelopment of the old Bethel Baptist Church into executive homes was completed in the Spring of 2016, designed to appeal to what had been expected to be a stream of executives to the community to take part in the anticipated LNG and other development. 

It's unclear as to what the vacancy rate may be for the east side complex.

2016 

April 4 -- New housing complex nears completion and seeks tenants

2015

May 7 -- India Avenue Housing Proposal gets Council approval, but not without controversy

April 16 -- India Avenue housing proposal moves forward to Public Hearing stage
April 13 -- Council to review presentation on Mountain View Executive Suites project

March 4 -- India Avenue housing proponent hosts Open House tonight for area residents

February 12 -- East side housing proposal faces a number of questions at City Council


When it come to development of a large housing project, the last significant bit of work took place a number of years ago on the Hays Estate sub-division, and even that cul-de-sac neighbourhood still has a few empty lots remaining yet to be delivered.

The Hays Estates Subdivision, which was started a number of years ago
 was the last significant housing development
to take place in the community, with the area only filling out with
finished homes in the last two years

More background on housing issues in the Northwest can be found on our archive page here.

For items of interest related to Prince Rupert City Council see our Council Discussion archive page here.

To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.

City Council Preview, Monday, July 25, 2016

Council members will settle in with a fairly active group of Agendas this evening, as the only regular scheduled session for July gets underway at 7 PM tonight.

Council features a Public Hearing into plans to rezone a parcel of land off of Prince Rupert Boulevard in the Drake Crescent area, offering those with comments or concerns related to the proposed development an opportunity to offer up their thoughts in public forum.

You can review the Agenda for the Public Hearing here.

The public engagement opportunity continues on with the monthly Committee of the Whole Session, where residents can bring comments, or concerns to the attention of City Council members.

The Agenda for the Committee of the Whole session can be examined here.

Once those two public input opportunities are finished Council will turn its attention to the Regular Council Session Agenda which features a number of reports for review, including a a look at the June Financial Variance numbers and a number of Development variance requests.

The remainder of the evening is left to consider three bylaw recommendations, ranging from zoning issues for that land at Drake Crescent and Prince Rupert Boulevard, a plan to place regulations on the distance between Liquor Retail Establishments and the results of an Alternative Approval Process for land on Graham Avenue, as well as a plan to sell a parcel of it to the Bryton Group.

The full review of the evening ahead can be reviewed here from the Agenda for the Regular Council session for June 27th.

Council will also host a session closed to the public, the 5 PM session has been called to address items related to:

negotiations and related discussions respecting the proposed provision of a municipal service that are at their preliminary stages and that, in the view of the council, could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality if they were held in public.

Below we'll highlight the different elements of this evenings work from the Regular session Agenda, for further background on each item, the page number from the Agenda is listed in red.

The Regular  Council session starts off with the adoption of agendas and minutes.

Petitions and Delegations   

Any Unfinished Business is then up next on the Agenda.

Followed by Reports and Recommendations

Report from the Chief Financial Officer regarding the June 2016 Financial Variance Report -- Council will receive an overview of the results of the June Financial report (see page 13 of  the Agenda)

Report from the City Planner for an Application for a Development Variance for property on Ambrose Avenue -- Council will receive information related to the request for the variance and the recommendation to move it forward to the public notification process. (see page 19 of the Agenda)

Report from the City Planner regarding an application for a Development Variance Permit from Horizon North -- Council will review information and consider the recommendation to move the process to the final consideration phase (see page 33 of the Agenda)

Report from the City Planner regarding an application for Development Variance Permit for a property on Atlin Avenue -- Council will receive a report and recommendation that the process move to the public notification phase.  (see page 48 of the Agenda)

Correspondences for Action and any Resolutions from Closed meetings

Bylaws mark the next item of the Agenda on the night and makes for a short list of items to be addressed.

Report from the City Planner for a Zoning amendment Bylaw for property on Drake Crescent -- Council will receive the recommendation to give Third and Final Reading to the Amendment Bylaw (see page 59 of the Agenda)

Report from the City Planner for a Zoning Amendment Bylaw to regulate a minimum 1 kilometre distance between Liquor Retail and Sales Establishments -- Council receive a recommendation to give first and second reading to the Zoning Amendment Bylaw and schedule a Public Hearing for 7 PM ahead of the August 22nd Regular Council meeting. (see page 61 of the Agenda)

Report from the Corporate Administrator regarding the Alternate Approval Process and Disposition of land in the Graham Avenue Area to the Bryton Group -- Council will receive the recommendation to adopt the Bylaw for the disposition of the subject land (see page 79 of the Agenda)

The evening then moves on to Additional Items from Council members, as well as Reports, Questions and Inquiries from Members of Council.

Council members will also offer up any items or concerns that they have for consideration on the night.

The Live broadcast of the City Council session can be found here, a video archive of past sessions is available here.

Our archive of items related to the July 25th session can be found here.

While our archive of all sessions of 2016  for council  is available here.

Park Avenue land back on the Prince Rupert Real Estate market

The only sign of progress for a proposed housing development on
Park Avenue was the creation of a gravel road into the site.
The land is now back up for sale with a Prince Rupert realty firm

At one time it was going to be the destination address for some high end homes and the site for what would have been the first major subdivision since Edward Avenue was put on a map of the city.

As the years have passed us by since those large scale development plans of the LNG era in Prince Rupert, the land that is found between Graham and Park Avenue has seen some prep work and little else.

The Park Avenue land was in front of City Council in 2015
as part of a rezoning application towards housing development

Four years have passed since the zoning for the land was in front of City Council and with little in the way of progress to be found on the housing development side of things , it's back up on the real estate market, looking to fetch a cool 24 million for someone looking to be ready for the next round of what Prince Rupert City Council once called hyper economic activity on the North Coast.

The New listing on the Remax realty website was posted on March 11th and offers what is described as over 30 acres of relatively flat ground with Ocean view, stated as an ideal site for industrial development, laydown yard or a residential development.

The Scope of the 30 acres of land  now for sale with REMAX Realty
(map from Remax website) 

One portion of that massive tract of prime land close to the container port and Ferry Terminals had been proposed for a high end housing development that would have included a connecting road between Graham Avenue and Park Avenue.

Those plans appeared to fall off development stage a few years ago after City Council and the then developers the Bryton Group locked horns on a few issues related to property development around Prince Rupert.

In addition to some of the push back to their plans on Park Avenue, the Bryton Group also found that they were not on the same page as City Council when it came to a proposed housing development on the old Kanata school site.

A difference of opinion which disappointed the School District at the time and has since left the Board to continue to look for a new owner for the Kanata site. Had the original land sale gone through, the District had outlined a number of plans to make use of the revenue for a range of District projects.

Last March, we took note of the lack of progress on a few of the once highly touted property development plans of the last four years for a number of locations around the city, one year later many remain undeveloped and in a few cases once again featuring a For Sale Sign.

The land is one of the largest single tracts available in the community and if someone has the 24 million required and a development plan that will find acceptance from City Council the west side of the city may yet see some change to the landscape of area.

For more notes related to Housing and Real Estate in the region see our archive page here.



To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.

Port of Prince Rupert seeks temporary use of land along Park Avenue for industrial purposes

Somewhere along Park Avenue is some land that the
Port of Prince Rupert wishes to make use of on a temporary period of two years
(map from City of PR website)

Prince Rupert City Council has moved forward with a request from  earlier this month from the Port of Prince Rupert, which is seeking permission to make use of some land along Park Avenue towards preparations for container terminal expansion, setting in motion the process of public notification on Monday night.

The request was a late addition to the Monday Council Agenda, which meant that there were no supporting documents for the public to review related to the proposed use of residential land for industrial use.

As for the presentation to Council, with the City of Prince Rupert no longer hosting a City Planner position and City Manager Robert Long seemingly not available for Council's only session for July, the short overview of the details to the request such as they were, fell to Corporate Administrator Rosa Miller to relay.

Her overview for the Council members was somewhat brief and didn't offer much in the way of background as to what the port has planned for their temporary land use in an area described as vacant Block 10.

The main thrust of her commentary that of what appears to be the use of the area for preparation of lands and subsequent operation of an off dock container facility on a 30 acre property located on highway 16 otherwise known as Park Avenue.

Ms. Miller noted that a portion of the land in question is currently listed as Zoned for residential with Council asked to refer the motion to public notification. 

Towards the request she also provided some detail on the bylaw process related to the land in question.

Among her commentary for Council, an observation that approval of the application for public notification simply provides the opportunity to take the question to the public and it is still subject to the range of referrals required.

The topic didn't generate much in the way of discussion from the Council membership, with Councillor Adey excusing himself from the conversation, though no indication as to why that was necessary was provided for at the time.

The only question from Council related to the Port's request came from Councillor Blair Mirau, who made an enquiry related to procedural issues on the topic.

"If we were to grant PRPA's request, after public input, I'm just wondering from a procedural standpoint, how exactly that would happen if the current bylaw doesn't permit a temporary permit in R1. 

Are you recommending that we would change the bylaw regarding temporary permits, or that we would ask them to revert their zoning from R1 back to P1, now that the Bryton Group doesn't want to proceed with that residential development"

Ms. Miller noted that rezoning would not necessarily be required, as it is designated as a temporary use, adding that Council could choose to over rule that portion of the bylaw.

The Mayor observed that the city would start with public input and then could have further discussion once they have heard back from other participants in the process.

And with that, the motion to move the process forward was approved.

No date, or further guidance as to how the public notification process and any potential community engagement towards it would work, was offered up as part of Monday's session.

The presentation of the request can be reviewed from the City's Video archive starting at the fifty minute mark.



The area of land that appears to be some of the focus of the discussion was put up for sale in April of 2019, the area which features a large area for development, was as Councillor Mirau noted once destined for an ambitious residential project by the Bryton Group.

The major property developer however chose not to move forward with their plans for Prince Rupert after they and City Council appear to have locked horns on a few development issues.

The Park Avenue plans were one of a number of highly touted residential developments that have yet to come to fruition for City Council.

Some of the land on Park Avenue once marked for residential development

The April 2019 real estate listing made note that the land was an ideal site for industrial development or for a lay down yard.

More on Monday's City Council session can be explored from our Council Timeline Feature.

Further notes on City Council discussion themes can be found from our Council Discussion archive.

Public Meeting scheduled regarding Park Avenue Housing rezoning issue

The first stages of forward momentum on the proposed development of housing on Park Avenue will take place in mid April, as the proponent for the project the Bryton Group will host a Community Meeting to outline their plans.

The community drop in session is set to take place on Wednesday April 15th, running from 5 PM to 7 PM in the conference room of the Highliner Inn.

The main focus of the community session is to provide more information to the public regarding the company's plans to create up to 30 new upscale housing units. The area of proposed development is a stretch of land between Graham Avenue and Park Avenue on the west side of the city

The proposed development would more or less run parallel to the BC Ferries Terminal, with many of the homes featuring views overlooking the Ferry Terminal and harbour area.

One feature of the development would be the creation of a secondary road access to the Graham Avenue area of the City, with a connecting road to be constructed to link that Section of the City to the Park Avenue area.

The Bryton Group has been involved with a number of residential and commercial property plans in the Northwest in recent months.

The meeting on the 15th will consist of an Open House format, with the public invited to drop in to examine the project more anytime during the 5 to 7 time frame.

The project received its first look over at Prince Rupert City Council at their March 23rd session, you can review our notes from that Council overview below.

March 31 -- Proposed West Side Housing Development moves to public notification stage
March 23 -- Council to consider Zoning issues related to proposed housing development off of Park Avenue

For more of our items related to Housing issues in the Northwest see our archive page here.

City set to move on land issue off Graham after AAP results released

Prince Rupert City Council will be meeting in a Special Regular Session this week, as City Council looks to move forward with a proposed land proposal for an area at the very western end of Graham Avenue.

At Wednesday's 5 PM session, Council will hear the results of the Alternative Approval Process to remove the park dedication and disposition of the land located off of Graham Avenue.

The notice of that AAP process, which required residents to deliver their electoral response forms to the City, was first outlined in April of this year. As the process came to an end on June 3rd only 337 residents had responded to the City's initiative during the course of the consultation.

After the release of the AAP results
from June, City Council may have
a green light for a land sale
off of Graham Avenue

In a Report to Council (see page 3 of the Agenda ) to be reviewed at Wednesday's session the assent of electors is declared.

As well, as part of the report the suggestion to Council is offered up by City Staff that Council members move forward with the proposed bylaw and disposition of lands to the Bryton Group for their proposed project development as previously outlined to Council.

In May, the City outlined how the Alternative Approval process would be used for the Graham Avenue land sale, which would see the land in question turned over to the Bryton Group for the recorded value of $21,000.

At the time, the City observed that money received for the land transaction would be directed towards a reserve fund to be put to use for future acquisition of park lands.

Councillor Blair Mirau provided for much of the lead for the City when it came to offering up some background for how the AAP would work, what the sale proposal was all about and how the City plans to make use of the revenue generated from the land sale.



With the final numbers from AAP process now released, the 337 residents that the City makes note of in its report for Wednesday's meeting falls short of the 866 mark, that was the number required to reflect opposition by more than 10 percent of the city's population.

Had that number of 866 been reached, it would have required City Council to consider taking the issue to a full referendum.

That expensive proposition won't be something that the City will need to consider at this point and the path forward towards the sale can begin its journey on Wednesday. Though controversial as it appeared to be in May, some on Council may still have some reservations when it comes to the proposed land sale and  there may also be concerns with the use of the AAP mechanism by the city to reach a decision.

The increased use of the AAP process in recent years has been an issue which has made for some discussion around the Council chamber in the past.

Those thoughts could become part of the official record should Council decide to give First, Second and third reading to the proposed Park Dedication and Disposal Bylaw as part of the Wednesday presentation to Council.

Some background on the past discussion related to the Graham Avenue proposal can be found below:

July 2015 -- Concerns over Graham Avenue Road extension dominate Park Avenue Public Hearing
July 2015 -- Park Avenue Housing Development to get Second Public Hearing
June 2015 -- Park Avenue proposal receives petition push back
June 2015 -- Councillor Thorkelson looks to include Senior's Housing in Park Avenue Development planning
April 2015 -- Public Meeting scheduled regarding Park Avenue Housing rezoning issue
March 2015 -- Proposed West Side Housing Development moves to public notification stage
March 2015 -- Council to consider Zoning issues related to proposed housing development off of Park Avenue

March 2014 -- Council takes Graham Avenue Condo project to public comment phase
February 2014 -- City considers townhouse development for Graham Avenue Area

Other items related to Housing and Housing development plans for Prince Rupert can be reviewed here.

For more items related to City Council discussions see our archive page here.