WHITE ROCK - The first council meeting of the year was set to take place Monday night and it looks like development and infrastructure are how White Rock is going to be starting the New Year.
First on the agenda are further zoning amendments set to be made to allow for "professional and semi-professional" use of the former church building at 1174 Fir St. Currently the site is only zoned for civic uses and community uses; however, a rezoning of the site would allow for potential third-party leasing opportunities.Last year, Marine Drive's storm and sanitary sewer system were also upgraded and the city is ready for the second stage of the project, which means lots of paving needs to be done. That paving contract is being recommended by staff to go to Imperial Paving Limited for the amount of $1,488,872. Imperial's bid amount was the lowest of nine tenders submitted to the city, with the most expensive being $2,500,000.The estimated construction time for the paving is around 80 working days, and is scheduled to start in early February. Staff notes that Marine Drive will have to be closed from time to time during this process.But perhaps the biggest development item on the agenda is that of a proposed 199-bed complex care facility to be constructed at the existing Evergreen Baptist Campus of Care property at 1550 Oxford St.The new building would be eight storeys and would see the number of current beds at the facility, 107, increase by 92 to 199. The Evergreen Baptist Society currently has a contract with Fraser Health Authority for the beds and the idea is to replace the current beds as they are "not built for purpose."The property in question is also located in an "environmental development permit area, significant stands of trees" area meaning a minor development permit and tree management permit will be required for it to proceed.If council decides to move forward with the project Monday night, the next step will be to schedule a public hearing on the proposal.cpoon@thenownewspaper.com