Rezoning application for Southpark on Whyte heads to council

A rezoning application for a new development on Whyte Avenue is set to go before a city council public hearing Monday.

One Properties is the developer behind Southpark on Whyte, which would see two high-rise residential buildings built at 81 Avenue and 106 Street and two low-rise retail buildings built at Whyte Avenue and 106 Street.

READ MORE: New development in the works for Whyte Avenue

The high-rise buildings would be between 17 and 19 storeys tall, while the low-rise buildings would be between four and six storeys tall.

The area, which used to house a car dealership, needs to be rezoned to allow for the development.

Kim Clegg, the planning and development chair for the Queen Alexandra Community League, said a meeting held Saturday over the development showed most people were excited.

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“That part of the community has mostly been a parking lot for a long time and a car dealership so it wasn’t really part of the community. Now we have an opportunity for a lot of new families, people and individuals to be a part of this community,” he said.

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“We also feel the addition of more people in the community will help with our community rejuvenation in terms of bringing more amenities to this area.”

Clegg said there are some concerns about the scale of the project, but he said most of those in the community league believe it is a “quality development.”

“A lot of people live in this neighbourhood because of the proximity to Whyte Avenue and all the amenities in that area. It is very vibrant in that way already – this development will only add to that,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "A lot of people live in this neighbourhood because of the proximity to Whyte Avenue and all the amenities in that area. It is very vibrant in that way already - this development will only add to that," he said.

Clegg is also hopeful the development will also reap some financial benefits for the neighbourhood through a community contribution.

“They’re going to be adding a huge number of people to the community so we can take advantage of the community contribution to maybe make some improvements in our neighbourhood for everyone in the whole area,” he said.

Though there is enthusiasm for the project, Clegg wants the city to hold off on making a decision until the Plan Whyte initiative is complete. It is a land use study for the Whyte Avenue Commercial Area and will lay long-term design guidelines for the area.

Area councilor Ben Henderson is adamant the study should be complete before city council makes any decision related to Southpark on Whyte.

“My feeling is going ahead and approving something that’s going to be this much of a change to what’s currently there before we finish the Plan Whyte process is premature,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "My feeling is going ahead and approving something that's going to be this much of a change to what's currently there before we finish the Plan Whyte process is premature," he said.

While he supports the buildings along Whyte Avenue, he is apprehensive about the residential high-rises on 81 Avenue.

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“I still have some fundamental questions about what appropriate heights are within that block, radius of Whyte Avenue. How high and wide and what those limitations are and what rules you use need to be figured out and we haven’t done that yet,” he said.

“We’ll have two-and-a-half blocks on 81 Avenue, which has been at most two or three storey buildings and a lot of single family houses. [And] one side of the street is going to be an 18 or 19 storey building pretty much without a break.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We'll have two-and-a-half blocks on 81 Avenue, which has been at most two or three storey buildings and a lot of single family houses. [And] one side of the street is going to be an 18 or 19 storey building pretty much without a break."

Henderson said is it important to create more density in the heart of the city but it has to be done carefully. He voted against the approval of Mezzo, a 16-storey development at 81 Avenue and 105 Street. But the majority of city council voted in favour of rezoning a lot of land to allow for the high-rise.

“It’s not that high buildings are inherently wrong but there’s a feel to Whyte Avenue that I think is part of what makes it work. Maybe this will not have a negative impact, maybe it will. I think we have to very careful about understanding that,” he said.

If the rezoning application is successful, the developer will be able to start pulling permits to begin work on the project.

City administration supports the bylaw that would allow for the rezoning, saying it redevelops an underutilized site while also constraining development to lessen negative impacts of infill tower development.