Community members will soon have their chance to weigh in on an apartment complex proposed for downtown Merritt, after city council threw their support behind the development at a recent meeting.
Property owner Qian (Chen) Xiang has his sights set on building a four-storey multi-family housing development — comprised of 22 two-bedroom units — at 1801 Coldwater Avenue.
“This is an excellent location for multiple-family development, as it is located close to bus stops, downtown businesses, and amenities including the library, schools, post office, and parks,” wrote Mark Brodrick, the city’s director of planning and development, in a report to council “The multi-family development would support revitalization of the downtown, support local businesses and increase property tax revenue in the city.”
Council unanimously agreed to bring the proposal to a public hearing at a regular meeting on May 14.
“I think this is greatly needed for the downtown core and I know that there are a number of seniors that are looking for a project like this,” said Mayor Linda Brown. “They want [to live in] the downtown area and yet there are not very many apartments going in.”
Xiang plans to include 41 parking spaces, 11 long-term bicycle parking spaces, and two motorcycle parking spaces in his development.
The vacant lot in question once housed a Shell card lock fuel facility, but the site has been remediated to meet the Ministry of Environment’s standards for residential soil and drinking water, Brodrick’s report reads.
While he said he in full support of the development, Coun. Travis Fehr suggested council keep in mind making up for the lost greenspace in other ways.
Densifying the downtown core goes with the “mood of council,” said Coun. Tony Luck.
“I’m looking forward to the public hearing to see what input the public has, because this could be a trend more to what we [will be] seeing in the downtown area,” he said.
