Townhouse Covenant Deadline Missed
Thursday, November 8, 2012 @ 4:00 AM
With the exception of a few lawn chairs on the west side of the property, the half block between the Commonwealth Health building and the Elizabeth Fry Seniors Housing project sits vacant. – photo – 250 News
Prince George, B.C.- The first deadline has been missed in the required construction of 6 townhouses adjacent to the Commonwealth Health building on the corner of 6th and Quebec.
The construction of the townhouses is a requirement of a covenant that is tied to the property. While the property owner had successfully applied to the City to have the time frame for construction extended, yesterday was the deadline for the first step of the project.
According to the revised covenant, as of November 7th, 2012, the owner is required to: “ submit an application for a Development Permit for the development at Parcel 2 of six townhouses.”
That didn’t happen.
The next deadline is June 5th of 2013, by which time the proponent is “to do all thing necessary to obtain a Development Permit and a Building Permit”
And by September 8th, 2014 “to commence construction of the approved development.”
Interim Director of Planning, Ian Wells has confirmed the November 7th deadline has been missed, “We will be touching base with the proponent” says Wells. “There are numerous steps the proponent can take to get back ‘on side’.”
So what are the numerous steps? Wells isn’t saying “I don’t want to discuss the options because there may be legal ramifications.”
The extension to the start of construction was granted because at the time, the site was being used as a staging area for the construction of a seniors apartment complex.
The site is now clear.
Comments
Nothing to see here; move along folks!
You couldn’t pay me to live downtown!
If you are single, 70 with health problems this building is a good place to live.
The City is never going to exercise their option to buy this land for $1. They had the option before, and they gave it up so that they could spend $900,000 to buy the same air space.
Sorry icicle. They did not buy that air space. They bought the air space which is occupied by the Elizabeth Fry operated building.
They could get the airspace at the corner for $1 if there is a default.
——————————–
“Wells isnât saying âI donât want to discuss the options because there may be legal ramifications.â
What a bunch of BS.
This has been going on since the City required the townhouses to be built as part of the original Chances development. Not a single time has that requirement been enforced.
The legal ramification which is the interesting one would be for the City to give legal notice of proceeding to acquire the property for $1.
This is a prime example of why the City is in the state it is in. They let developers run the City.
Speaking about townhouses. It looks like the ones on Victoria are not selling/renting like hotcakes.
I am not sure how many people have noticed this is not downtown Vancouver.
I am sorry …. I totally forgot that downtown Vancouver also has no townhouses at street level. They have condos on upper floors.
Street level condos can be located in mixed use residential areas such as Yaletown and adjacent to Coal Harbour.
From my experience, there are lots of baby boomers & seniors who are looking for condos downtown or somewhere central but the deal killer is always stairs. So I agree, street level is where its at but no one seems to be doing that.
Where are the City’s lawyers on this one?
Tthey should be chomping at the bit to get going on it. If Mayor Green is really concerned about saving the city some money she should be directing them to get right on it!
Does this have more to do with who the developer is than the actual default?
Gus, my point is that the Senior’s home could have been built on the corner and the City would have spent $1. Instead the City chose to extend the timelines and pay $900,000 for the adjacent air space.
I suspect it has to do with the carrot the developer is holding out there. The carrot is that he is proposing to build more than 6 condos. I believe he is looking at some sort of retail on the lower floor and “market” housing on the upper floors. The thing is that the market simply is not there for something like that. Further down the road, give or take 10 years, there might be.
Right now they might even be waiting to see if the Condo/hotel project will get into the ground.
It is not as if one can build 5 or 10 buildings at the same time and get them sold within a short period of time. There have been none built in the CBD, ever. Whoever is going to be first will be breaking new ground.
Even with the success of the Courtyard condos in the Winnipeg-Vancouver corridor it took over a decade to get the next one up on 7th. A building in the CBD is a much tougher sell.
i would totally live downtown, but i seriously doubt the average person will be able to afford them once they are built, they will be geared to professionals and well off retiree’s im sure.
I think the city had no choice. It was a BCHousing project, which was (will be?) turned over to the City. I am not too sure at which time the City became involved with that deal. There seem to be three potential parties, all with their own interest – the province, the City, the owner of the air rights/developer.
I might have it wrong, but I think the City was an afterthought. The primary agreement was between BCHousing and the air rights owner.
It is too bad that this community is so secretive once the deal has been made, isn’t it???
“i seriously doubt the average person will be able to afford them once they are built”
I think you owe it to yourself to have a tour of what is going up for single family detached housing these days in the Tyner and Malaspina areas. Nothing much under $400,000 there ….. Much of it on little hand towel sized lots afer the Monster houses have been sited on them.
……”little hand towel sized lots”….My take on that is I’m thankful I can’t lean out my bathroom window and spit on the side of my neighbours house. Lots of room fer the kiddies. Ya, right. Densification belongs downtown, not in a subdivision.
i would totally live downtown.
———————————
Have you ever checked the air quality in that part of the city. As soon as we have a few sunny days the PM 25 and PM 10 go throught the roof at the air quality monitor on Plaza 400. And the crap from BC Industrial park seems to move up to the monitor on Gladstone elementery as well.
http://www.bcairquality.ca/readings/index.html
The good air quality is up at the Hart and Upper Colledge Hiegths. Actually the entire bowl is a health hazard to those tnat have any form of respitory ailment..
Cheers
I don’t live on one of these so called ‘hand towel’ sized lots, but I don’t begrudge those who maybe want a smaller yard. That seems to be the standard these days, not just in PG.
Could you imagine the sprawl if they gave all those new houses larger lots?
Oh, and I would never live downtown. What little life it might have quickly shuts down after 5pm.
Since when is itin Mr Wells job description to touch base with the company and give support? âThere are numerous steps the proponent can take to get back âon sideâ.â
Why is it the city appears to only help certain groups in getting what they want?
This is not the first time something has lapsed. If this is the way a company runs then it does not say much about the company. One does not just forget……unless there is some other reasoning behind it.
The company forfited their rights as of now. What legal ramifications can come out of that?
The way I look at it the “planning department” is not doing its job….or does it know? Legally, The city should be putting the notice out that they will be buying back the property…..
I am still waiting to see the WALK-IN CLINIC that was promised to go in the building next door!
To many promises and not kept….
Isn’t that corner 3 to 4 feet higher than the sidewalk (the level of the parking lot)? To build commercial units on the ground floor might not work – stairs/ramps etc.
The City will end up spending more money if this goes to court.
“I’m thankful I can’t lean out my bathroom window and spit on the side of my neighbours house”
Guess what. Thaqt would be very difficult to do in a rented or owned apartment. ;-)
Gus, you mentioned the condo’s on Victoria St. I have stood there and the noise and the smell of diesel is incredible. I would not pay to live there. Oh, and nowhere close for the dog to poop.
That wonderful Malaspina subdivision comes with it’s own toxic creek running through it. Perfect for the kids.
if I read this correctly, if the owner of the property fails to live up to their promise (condos), the city (us taxpayers) get the property for $1? It would seem to be straight forward.
If this was a deal between two private companies you can bet there wouldn’t have been so many breaks for the guy who has continually failed to live up to his promises.
Do we know who the proponents are? the developer?
Littlebird,
The developer is Commonwealth Health. A related company to Commonwealth Campus that made roughly $500,000 from the City on the PG Hotel deal.
Bang on pssst.
Comments for this article are closed.