During a public hearing on a proposed hotel on Highway 19A, residents raised concerns on the possibility of obstructed views and sea-level rise.
The proposal for the Sand Pebbles Inn, located at 2767-2751 Island Hwy. W., would be for a 40-unit hotel with a wider public sea-walk, a rooftop patio with an events/catering space, and ground-floor amenities.
The height of the proposed hotel would be 12.5 m, five metres higher than is currently allowed under Commercial 2 zoning.
Bruce Martin, who lives on the Highway 19A, said his one concern is views, adding that while the proposed changes might be minor, they could prove to be a slippery slope.
“We really have to question when height variances are being considered when we’re undergoing new construction because these are things that are taken into consideration by buyers when they buy a piece of property if there’s a height restriction going to protect views and vistas,” Martin said.
Sharif Senbel of Studio Senbel Architecture and Design Inc., the architect for the proposed hotel, said the design of the hotel wouldn’t “totally encroach on his (Martin’s) view,” since that portion of the hotel would be substantially lower.
A few people raised the point of how the developer would deal with sea-level rise. Since first coming to council in January, the applicant has made changes to raise the parking level to a grade elevation, which would remove all inhabitable space below the flood construction level as well as moving the building two metres away from the waterfront. Only the proposed café in the hotel would be at the flood construction level.
Senbel said to his understanding, the Town of Qualicum Beach will be undertaking a larger review of foreshore restoration protection.
“Our development can work with a hard edge foreshore option or a soft edge, more natural option. We have looked at that carefully,” Senbel said.
Senbel said there is no requirement to raise the seawall to flood construction level.