Kimberley residents, especially those in Lower Blarchmont, will be pleased to learn that a building considered an eyesore, at 323 Banks Street, is being developed and rehabbed.
The owner has requested a development variance permit and a development permit to allow for the building to be renovated into a three dwelling unit, said Manager of Planning Services Troy Pollock in a report to council.
The proposed building renovation will expand the building footprint for the construction of a rear deck for each unit attached to the building on the north side. Three garage spaces are also proposed to be created beneath the third unit and accessed from Banks Street, as well as an additional two surface parking spaces to the rear of the property accessed from the alley.
Pollock says the building has given council some grief in the past as it has sat uninhabited. Council has been approached by citizens at times over the years to do something about it, but their hands were tied as the city did not own the building.
The property has remained vacant for several years and has generally fallen into an uninhabitable state. By allowing the application to move forward, it will allow the building to be repaired and become habitable once more. Two of the three proposed units will be two stories and contain three bedrooms, with unfinished basements, while the third unit will be located above the garage spaces and contain two bedrooms. These units will help provide density to the City and in a location that provides relatively easy access to amenities and services to the future residents, the report says.
Property owners in the neighbourhood will be notified of the development variance request.
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carolyn.grant@kimberleybulletin.com
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