A proposed new master plan to guide the rollout of a mixed-use development in the 42-acre Bowers District in the north of Nanaimo is on its way to public hearing.
The site was previously known as the Green Thumb property in recognition of the 62-year-old plant nursery still operating at 6261 Hammond Bay Rd.
Wilhelmina Group Ltd. Partnership is seeking an amendment to the city’s official community plan. The new master plan for the site is to allow for a long-term build-out from south to north on the land.
The project would include about 2,500 residential units built as townhomes or in multi-family low-rise and high-rise buildings. Some council members were concerned about the possibility of tall towers but specific heights have not been set out in the master plan, although some areas would allow for more than six storeys.
Higher density housing would be concentrated on the north end, dropping down to low and mid-rise buildings (up to six storeys) to the east and south.
An urban village with commercial uses on its main street and a central plaza are also planned.
About 30 per cent of the property would be open space. A network of green spaces would be linked throughout the site, with routes for pedestrians and cyclist. Playgrounds, rain gardens and wetlands would be included.
Existing mature trees and new trees would create a “green refuge” in the city, along with gathering places for residents, a staff report said.
A public park would be designed to attract area residents, city council heard at its Dec. 9 meeting.
The developer is aiming to buld the property from south to north. Green buildings with low-carbon designs are envisioned.
A majority of city council passed first and second reading of the bylaw required to amend the official community plan.
Coun. Ian Thorpe voted against the amendment, saying the plan seems rushed and he doesn’t think it is ready to go to a public hearing.
Too many questions remain about the implications of the development, he said, urging that it be delayed for six months.
He’s concerned about the possibility of highrises and added that approval would open the door to buildings taller than six storeys.
The planned 2,500 new housing units will bring more vehicles into the area, said Thorpe. “There is going to be a lot of traffic,” he said.
Coun. Sheryl Armstrong, who also voted against moving ahead with the proposal, concurred. “I would like a lot more information than what we have got.”
She, too, is concerned about potential building heights and said numerous area residents have said the same thing.
Mayor Leonard Krog, who voted in favour, said moving to a public hearing does not commit city hall to permitting more than six storeys in a building.
An amendment to the official community plan does not predetermine what will be built on the site, he said.
Approving the amendment is a reasonable step forward in the development of the property, he said.
Council has been presented with a conceptual plan, he said, and in terms of a general concept, “It looks pretty good to me.”
