The company behind a proposed 40-unit apartment complex in West Bay said such projects are vital to providing residents good quality, affordable housing options.
Bahia West Ltd., working with Trio Design, is proposing to build five, two-storey buildings at the intersection of several roadways near Capts Joe and Osbert Road. During a hearing on Wednesday, 19 June, Central Planning Authority members paid particular attention to the number of units and potential impact on parking, given the site is in a high-density residential zone.
The planning authority initially heard the proposal last October, but it adjourned the meeting to further discuss the “excessive density”.
Creative parking solutions
At the latest hearing, Mike Stroh of Trio and Carlos Franky of Bahia West presented their solution for the parking concern.
CPA members made clear they wanted to avoid adding more pressure to street parking in the area.
Franky explained the challenging balance of providing space for parking on the 1.1-acre parcel while still providing enough units to make the project financially viable, especially considering the units are geared toward single people or young families.
Stroh also noted the difficulty of creating a blueprint while anticipating possible changes to nearby roadways that the National Roads Authority said may be imminent.
The current plan includes 60 parking spaces, made possible through stacked parking, for the 40 units.
The automated system would put one car on top of another, accessible either by an on-site operator or by assigning certain units to control each set of spots.
At least one CPA member had some reservations about the stacked parking, saying he would prefer to give the designers a variance so they can provide only 50 basic parking spots on site. Typically, planners must provide 1.5 spots per unit, which would have come out to 60 in total.
Franky said they would not be opposed to the change.
Affordable options
Board members asked if the planners had considered adding more amenities to the otherwise straightforward project.
Franky said they had considered it but opted to keep the design simple and costs lower, particularly catering to single-income individuals, given the calls for affordable housing in the area. He said such developments will especially appeal to young people seeking a place of their own rather than needing roommates to afford rent.
“It’s really needed,” Franky added.
Stroh said the project has been in the works for about a year, and they are eager to move forward with the plans.
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It would be helpful for CIG/CPA to produce an “affordable housing” zoning along with acceptable density and parking requirements. It is ridiculous that a developer acquires land with the intent to build and only to learn that the land cannot be used for the use. I understand variations require consultation and consideration. In an environment where there are loads of developers looking to build to charge less rent, the only solution is to increase density on sites and look to either reduce parking or go up.