Sechelt council's decision on a proposed condominium building in Davis Bay has been postponed for at least a month.
The condo is proposed for the vacant lot next to the Pier 17 store in Davis Bay. At the Sechelt planning meeting Sept. 14, developer Chris Moore showed a scale model of a 63-unit building, three and four storeys high.
However, planning director Ray Parfitt said the design is inconsistent with the official community plan for the neighbourhood.
"There are issues with respect to zoning, density and setbacks," said Parfitt.
The property is currently zoned for a hotel, an earlier project that failed to attract investors.
"A stratified condo hotel will not work here," said Moore. "There's not a high enough occupancy level. You need at least 50 per cent."
He believes a seniors' condo complex is a more financially viable plan. The location on a bus route, with stores, churches, the seawall and a community hall all within walking distance, is ideal for seniors, he said.
The building design is U-shaped, surrounding a landscaped courtyard. At the front, six parking spaces would be allocated for Pier 17 and a sculpture would be commissioned by a local artist. Car access to the condos would be off Whitaker Road. A parking lot and septic field behind the condo building would extend onto an adjacent lot behind Pier 17.
"Wastewater disposal is really the Achilles tendon," said Moore. "It's do-able at a huge expense."
The building would cost about $13 million and take 12 to 14 months to build, he said. He estimated the prices of the condo units would start in the $225,000 range for a one-bedroom unit.
In response to concerns from neighbours who feared losing their views of Georgia Strait, Moore changed the design to a lower, flat roof and did a view analysis for six homes uphill. He said the proposed building height is now just over 42 feet.
The Davis Bay condo project was slated for discussion at the September planning meeting, but instead Parfitt plans to hold further discussions and negotiations with Moore and bring the project back to the planning committee in October.
"We're not trying to sweep anything quickly through," said Moore.
