TERRACE city council has voted in favour of issuing a variance permit to a new hotel so it can change some of its initial plans for the building and parking.
Sunshine Inn asked to alter its Hwy 16 access, reduce its off street parking requirements and add a couple of hotel rooms.
In April of this year, owner of Sunshine Inn Executive Suites Inc. Kim Tran applied to the city to amend the hotel’s development permit to increase the number of hotel rooms from 96 to 98 and reduce the number of strata titled apartments from 13 to 11, director of development services David Block told council.
With regards to access to the hotel from Hwy 16, the city has issued a permit based on the results of a traffic study commissioned by the owner and endorsed by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, said Block.
But at a review of the highway access design last fall, the ministry’s engineers expressed concern of vehicle safety and the impact on highway traffic at the proposed location beside Kalum Tire.
The issues were the proximity of the access to another commercial access and a restriction of sight lines due to a hydro pole in the sidewalk, council heard.
The city worked with Tran and the ministry to come up with another alternative.
That result means a reduction in the number of off-street parking spaces is necessary, said Block.
The initial permit was amended for a reduction in the number of spaces from 131 to 125 and this change will further reduce the number of spaces to 122.
Parking will still be adequate for a planned restaurant, which these parking spaces are for, and will not affect the hotel or apartment residents, said Block.
The owner had intended for 13 strata title apartments on the fourth and fifth floors of the building but has now decided to only have the 11 strata title apartments on the fifth floor.