NIMBY no more: Iqaluit approves buildings on empty Plateau lot

NIMBY no more. Iqaluit city council revisited, and passed a motion to change the zoning of this lot in the Plateau subdivision to allow for residential development, despite opposition over the years from several homeowners living in the area. This will allow BDL Properties to build 12 apartment units in two buildings on the 2,600-square metre piece of land. (PHOTO BY PETER VARGA)

An undeveloped lot in Iqaluit’s Plateau Subdivision, long known for drawing nearby residents to council meetings to object to plans for developing, drew them again July 10, when council revisited a proposal to rezone the lot and build housing on it.

In contrast to past meetings, council accepted the proposal this time, noting the proposed development was well within norms of residents’ complaints about building heights and set-backs from the road, and concerns about added traffic to the neighbourhood.

Designated for institutional use, “Lot 40, Plan 3604” lies at a fork in the road between Pingua and Qaqqaliaq Streets, and totals 2,591 square metres.

About seven homeowners who live around the lot, including two married couples, attended a public hearing on the zoning bylaw amendment scheduled at the start of the July 10 council meeting.

They repeated many of the complaints thye made at a similar meeting March 12.

At the time, the proposed amendment called for a zoning change from “public-institutional” to “cluster residential” – when a developer was set to build 12 apartment units in two sets of sixplexes.

Council turned down the proposal at that time, after only two homeowners opposed it.

“Council as a whole voted to revisit the issue,” Coun. Romeyn Stevenson told the audience.

“They had been lacking some information when they made the decision at the last public hearing to change the zoning, as had been proposed.”

Stevenson said Coun. Kenny Bell, absent from the July 10 meeting, moved to reconsider the question because developer BDL Properties did not attend the public hearing, and could not answer question about its proposal.

Homeowners cited devaluation of their properties and crowding as their top concerns.

“I’m strongly opposed to the development of the zoning of this area, for a couple of reasons,” said Leanne Babstock, who with her husband recently bought a house opposite the lot. “First and foremost is the devaluation of our property.”

The Plateau Subdivision also lacks green space, she said, “and the houses are already on top of each other. We’re crowded. We already have issues with our roads.”

The development calls for 14 parking lots with the 12 units.

“I assume every homeowner is going to have a vehicle,” said Babstock. “They’re probably going to have family members and other visitors as well, adding to the traffic of that area.”

Babstock’s husband and four other homeowners repeated her concerns.

Shaun Lewin, who also said he recently purchased a house opposite the property, said added traffic would compromise pedestrian safety in the area.

“Having invested in such a beautiful spot, I want to protect my investment as well,” he said.

Eric Caouette, owner of BDL Properties, the developer, pointed out that the lot is zoned institutional, and was never intended for use as green space.

In response to property-owners concerns, going back three years, he said the firm worked on a plan to build residential properties, which would “match the area” better than commercial or institutional zoning.

“If we were going to develop an institutional property, we would probably have a building that is much bigger than what we propose,” he said, which would bring in a lot more traffic.

Caouette said the height of the proposed buildings, at 8.6 metres, accounts for residents’ concerns about views of the landscape, as it “is a lot lower than any other building in the area,” he said.

“We’re right low to the ground, and our set-back (from the road) is more than the requirement.”

Council went to second reading of the bylaw midway through the regular council meeting, which followed the public hearing.

City planning director Arif Sayani told council that the proposed six-plex buildings’ height was well under the 10.5 metre limit required for residential cluster-zoning, and also well below the 10-metre height limit for single detached houses surrounding the lot.

“We have been working on this for a lengthy period, and we can go on and on in discussions,” said Coun. Joanesie Akumalik.

Opposition to development of the lot goes back to 2010, when a proposal to allow a commercial development met with overwhelming opposition from Plateau homeowners.

Akumalik and other councillors agreed that the proposed residential development suited residents’ concerns, while sticking with the city’s longstanding commitment to build in the area since 2005.

Councillors passed the bylaw, which will go to final approval in a third reading at a future council meeting.

Detailed review of the development will take place after council finalizes the zoning change.