TRURO - A four-storey residential building will be built on Prince Street in the near future.
The building will contain up to 22 dwelling units over three parcels of land, including the current residences of 411 and 415 Prince St. as well as a vacant lot to the rear. The new building will be 413 Prince St.
The proposal was designed by Kassner/Goodspeed Architects of Halifax and presented by Benchmark Developments Limited.
Benchmark's architect Dan Goodspeed told town council yesterday the area is ideal for such a development for a few reasons.
"We were quite impressed with the site ... it's a 10-minute walk from shops and recreation (opportunities) and I feel the size is generally in scale with Prince Street," said Goodspeed.
A report by the town's planning and development department stated the coverage area of the new development is 22 per cent compared to an average of 17 per cent for other developments in the neighbourhood.
Town councillors were also anxious to see how potential flooding conditions would affect the new building and its residents.
Goodspeed said a variety of techniques will be implemented to control flooding, including the use of restrictors, roof drains and additional draining for parking, of which there will be above and underground parking spaces.
"It would take an enormous storm to get six to eight inches of water in the basement," Goodspeed said.
Planning staff also indicated 140 questionnaires were mailed out to nearby residents. The development borders the Patillo and Longworth area to the northwest and the Smith Avenue/Broad Street area to the south.
The response rate was 41 per cent, which was "quite high" for a survey said Jason Fox, director of planning. Of the replies, 70 per cent were in favour of the development.
Only one nearby resident offered their opinion at the council meeting yesterday. Longworth Avenue resident David Aylmer said he was content with the proposal.
"I'm pleased with the exterior design ... I'm glad to see the preservation of trees and I like that the fourth floor is made to be more sympathetic (accommodating) to the rest of the neighbourhood," said Aylmer.
He did question traffic concerns in the area, to which developer Ken Isenor responded.
"The right of way comes off Prince Street," said Isenor, who added he has high hopes for the development.
"I hope it's going to be the gem of Truro," said Isenor.
mchiasson@trurodaily.com
