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Wembley Mall housing development given first reading by Parksville council

Developer proposes 5-storey mixed-use building
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Parksville council is considering a residential development addition to Wembley Mall. Image shows an artistic rendering of proposed development.

Parksville council is considering an application for a five-storey mixed use building on the Wembley Mall site.

Conceptual plans show a building 18.3 metres tall with commercial space on the ground floor and 70 residential units above, according to a report by Blaine Russell, the city's director of planning.

After a lengthy discussion, council voted on Jan. 20 to give first reading to an official community plan amendment and a zoning and development bylaw amendment.

"Overall I’m quite happy to see some of the changes, or some of the evolution of the proposal since we last saw this presented to council,” said Coun. Joel Grenz, and added he was glad the proponent held an open house and received some feedback. “I think the community would benefit from seeing an overall facelift for the Wembley Mall.”

The proposal by ICR Projects Inc. was presented to council back in 2023 and since then the project has been scaled back. Russell noted the original application included development at the other end of the mall, which is very close to the boundary between the city and the Regional District of Nanaimo. 

“Due to the complexity of basically addressing Stanhope Road and coordinating with inter-jurisdictional needs, the application was pared back to what is before council,” Russell said.

The preliminary, proof-of-concept, design shows 33 one-bedroom with den units, eight two-bedroom units, 26 two-bedroom with den units, and three three-bedroom units. Parking is shown to consist of 80 underground spaces and 46 on the surface level.

The mall and the planned development would have the same owner, and a separate subdivision application will look at splitting the property into two parcels, according to Russell.

Council decided to give one reading to the amendments, rather than two readings and the scheduling of a public hearing.

“I can kind of already hear the concerns that will be coming forward from the public on this," Grenz said. "And I’d really love it if some of those concerns could be addressed prior to that so that this project gets the best possible presentation to the public.”

One possible concern is the traffic on the private road that connects the Island Highway with Wembley Road and transits through the mall, he added. Design elements such as the overall appearance of the mall were also brought up by several members of council.

Coun. Amit Gaur said he would rather defer first reading so council could see some of the questions addressed prior to a hearing. 

“I would like to tread carefully on this, to have public input and community buy-in, in this proposal, which is going to change, very hopefully, for the betterment of our community,” Gaur said.

Russell clarified with council that the plans were proof-of-concept and things such as amenities and design are subject to change.

“I think the question is whether the general concept or the use is okay or not,” he added.

The zoning amendment, if approved, will allow for residential use at Wembley Mall by creating a "sub-zone" for the new building, Russell said.

The OCP does envision residential for the site, but it requires an OCP amendment because of a provision meant to encourage downtown revitalization and give it a “head start” in terms of multi-family developments. Since there are numerous projects like this already completed or underway downtown, city staff felt that goal had been achieved.

The applicant says the development will provide community benefits such as infrastructure and intersection upgrades, including a 70 metre sidewalk along the Island Highway side, a voluntary contribution of $58,400 to the Parksville Volunteer Fire Department and four electric vehicle charging stations.

Council voted in favour of the OCP amendment and the zoning amendment, with Gaur opposed.



Kevin Forsyth

About the Author: Kevin Forsyth

As a lifelong learner, I enjoy experiencing new cultures and traveled around the world before making Vancouver Island my home.
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