Delta council has given final approval for a rezoning application for a six-unit townhouse development in Ladner.
Currently occupied by an older single-family house, the property in 5100-block of 45 Avenue will have two, three-storey buildings with three units each.
Located near Delta Secondary and surrounded by low-rise apartments, townhouses, single-detached residential lots and infill single-detached residential lots, the property has 18 trees, all of which are proposed to be removed.
The planning department notes a covenant to require the provision of cash-in-lieu of parkland dedication was not executed because of council approving a new policy late last year to cease the collection of parkland cash-in-lieu with strata subdivisions.
The application, which received preliminary approval in October 2023 but required the owner to meet certain conditions, was consistent with the previous Official Community Plan (OCP), which subsequently was updated earlier this year.
However, the project is located on a smaller lot and the owner requested smaller side and rear yard setbacks and a narrower distance between buildings.
The proposed setbacks are considered reasonable given the small-scale nature of the infill project, according to staff.
In response to the privacy concerns from neighbours, the development would provide landscaping within the side yard setback areas and a fence to protect the privacy of properties to the east. The townhouse buildings also won’t have third-floor windows on either the east or west elevations to minimize overlook onto adjacent properties.
Small-scale multi-unit housing
Meanwhile, as far as small-scale multi-unit housing, (SSMUH) such as garden suites and coach houses, council has approved further streamlining measures for the application process.
In June, council adopted changes to Delta’s zoning bylaws to permit SSMUH on all single-detached and duplex lots in the city.
A staff report notes that since those changes came into effect, the city has seen more applications for duplex projects and new single-detached units with secondary suites, but there have also been a few applications for garden suites and coach houses.
Staff are also processing two development applications for four-plex projects and tracking the zoning requirements for future consideration of broader changes to the zoning bylaw, the report notes.
Staff continue to track questions from applicants related to SSMUH units, including reducing separation distances, additional height allowances and lot coverage, and those requests with the staff review will be included in a future report providing options for amendments, the report adds.
