A planned 39-unit apartment complex with an attached bike garage will move ahead after a vote from Kimberley city council.
The developer requested a variance permit to allow for some unique design elements on the building.
“They have some innovative things related to bike parking and how they’re going to cover up bike parking for residents,” said Kimberley CAO Scott Sommerville. “We’re anticipating quite an innovative development.”
The development variance permit (DVP) will allow for a maximum of 40 covered bike rack spaces and 24 open racks.
It will also allow an accessory structure right beside the main building so serve as a detached bicycle storage and a waste/recycling enclosure.
The decision was specific to the accessory structure, as the development permit was approved at a previous council meeting
Sommerville said this will be a good fit for Kimberley, as more residents are opting for travelling by bike.
“People are e-biking all over Kimberley, it’s quite the thing to see,” said Sommerville. “It takes cars off the road and gets people out and interacting with each other. We’re fully on board with people cycling and seeing how these different developments will accommodate those cyclists.”
Once finished, the three-story building will have mixed unit sizes on each level adding up to 18 1-bedroom, nine 2-bedroom and 12 3-bedroom units.
It will be located at 10 Jim Ogilvie Way, which was formerly 2900 Rotary Drive.
This was one of three development proposals that city council agreed to move forward with on Monday night’s meeting.
“This one is really exciting, we don’t have a lot of high-density housing,” said Sommerville. “The 39 units here, the six duplexes, and Forest Crowne opening up should take some pressure off the housing market here in Kimberley. There’s lots more coming down the pipe as well.”
More details on the two other developments will come in future stories.
