City council approved a proposal to build 71 townhouses in Clayton following a public hearing on Monday night (Nov. 19).
The development is the third townhouse complex bracketing the new Salish Secondary school to receive the go-ahead from council in the last four months.
The units will go in at 18455 72 Avenue, immediately south of the school. It is 350 metres south of a future 95-unit townhouse development and 350 metres west of a future 83-unit development.
One Surrey resident spoke on the development during the public hearing. Richard Landale registered his objection to the destruction of 40 trees to make way for the project, and expressed his concern that the increased development would have a negative impact on traffic volumes on 72 Avenue.
Architect Douglas Johnson responded, stating that the complex will have two exits, and “the traffic doesn’t necessarily have to funnel out onto 72 Avenue.” He said that “we’ve actually retained quite a number of trees on this project,” and worked with city staff to save what they could. “The trees that are being lost are mostly due to road widening along 72nd,” he said.
According to an Oct. 1 city report, 40 of the 42 protected trees on site will be destroyed for the development.
Council approves project
The proposal passed third reading with little discussion by council.
Coun. Laurie Guerra noted that 24 form letters had been submitted in support of the development from neighbours, but after a question from Coun. Steven Pettigrew city staff confirmed that they had not verified the addresses of the senders.
- SEE PREVIOUS: Third major townhouse project proposed for Clayton neighbourhood near Salish Secondary
Council approved the drafting of a development permit and a development variance permit, which will allow the developer to reduce setbacks along all four lot lines.
The lot, which currently contains a single family home, will be rezoned from one-acre residential to multiple residential. The change adheres to the West Clayton Neighbourhood Concept Plan, which designates the property as Townhouse Residential. The 71 townhouse units will be built as 12 three-storey buildings with attached double car garages.
According to the city report, the projected number of students from the development would be 18 for Clayton Elementary and 9 for Salish Secondary.
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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