In its latest decision regarding the Legoland condos in West Bay, the Central Planning Authority has granted the developer permission to build a smaller version of the originally proposed project.
The matter has come before the planning board a number of times since June 2020 when it first granted permission for a 24-block, 192-apartment complex over two parcels of land on Batabano Road, at a cost of $20 million. The planning board has given the green light for this to be halved, to a 12-block development.
Part of the land had already been cleared and elevated in preparation for the construction, to the annoyance and concerns of neighbours, who held a public meeting in April to discuss increased flooding on their properties and the adjacent road.
The following month, Legoland appeared before the Central Planning Authority requesting a modification to its original planning permission, stating its intention to erect 12 buildings, consisting of a total of 96 one-bedroom apartments, on one of the parcels of land, at a cost of $12 million.
Following that meeting, the board turned down the modification request, stating that a little over half of the property in question was zoned ‘neighbourhood commercial’, on which no ground floor residential properties could be built, under the planning regulations.
The Planning Department had noted in its submission at the May hearing, that the CPA had granted permission in 2020 for the development to have apartments on the ground floor, despite the zoning issue, because “there is sufficient reason and exceptional circumstance to allow the additional density and the residential development on the ground floor”. That included the fact that the site was “not particularly suited” for commercial development and the project would not be “materially detrimental” to the neighbourhood.
According to the recently released minutes of the latest meeting, on 13 Sept., the Planning Department stated in its submission: “The southern half of the property is zoned Neighbourhood Commercial while the northern half is zoned Medium Density Residential. There are no residential units permitted on the ground floor in a NC zone and there are no residential density provisions in the NC zone.
“In keeping with the previous CPA decision, the Department has applied the MDR zoning regulations to the entire property for density and setback provisions.”
At that meeting, the Central Planning Authority resolved to approve Legoland’s modified application, which included the elimination of one of the two original parcels of land from the project, and halve the size of the development from 192 units to 96. The project will now consist of 12 apartment blocks, each made up of eight one-bedroom flats, over a four-acre site.
Although there has been widespread concerns in the local community over the project, the planning modification application considered by the Central Planning Authority at the meeting did not include any objections.
Outlining the reasons for its approval decision, the authority said it had been determined during the original approval for the apartments that the land was suitable for use for condo development.
It said the proposed modification “would result in a less intense development and have less of an impact upon the neighbourhood than the original approval”.
Developer Eduardo Bernal and his attorney Sammy Jackson appeared before the board at the 13 Sept. meeting, according to the minutes.
Jackson explained to the planning board that this was not a new application, but a modification to the already approved planning permission from 2020.
He said the Legoland development would cater to a demographic that currently is not being serviced within the area, and that rent on the individual units would be approximately $1,100 per month.
The developer also agreed, following advice from the National Roads Authority, to set aside 10 feet of land to accommodate future road widening at the site.
Related Videos
