Council on Monday gave final approval for a proposed 29-storey high-rise in North Delta.
The mixed-use development in the 9300-block of Scott Road (9365 to 9383 120th Street) and 11000 block of 93A Avenue (11959, 11969 93A Avenue), will have 314 residential units.
The project will comprise a residential tower with ground floor commercial space, a daycare which would be owned by the city, as well as a five-storey rental building with some of the units to charge below market rental rates.
Following a heated public hearing last June, Mayor George Harvie and councillors Dylan Kruger, Alicia Guichon and Bruce McDonald voted in favour, while councillors Lois Jackson, Jeannie Kanakos and Dan Copeland were vehemently opposed.
The vote was the same this week with the discussion also becoming heated at times.
Kanakos said there’s consensus that more housing is needed for the area, but a development that’s in the 10-to-12 storey range would be more suitable for the neighbourhood.
Saying it’s one of the best development applications he’s ever seen for the Scott Road corridor, McDonald warned that the city could be facing legal action if council decided to reverse its decision to approve the application at this point.
Kanakos and Jackson took exception, saying McDonald’s comment was an over-the-top threat.
The application is consistent with the North Delta Area Plan, the Townline Special Development Area Concept Plan, which is still in the works, and the recommendations from Mayor's Housing Task Force for Scott Road.
Harvie, who chaired the task force, noted it’s important to move on with revitalizing the area and that the property has been a blight for many years.
