WATERLOO — A new development could be underway on Albert Street if the council approves it. The proposal is a 6-storey mixed-use medium-density apartment building with ground-floor commercial space.
The subject lands of this development are 309-333 Albert Street and 318-320 Batavia Place. The developer and owner of the land is Prica Group Construction Management (PGCM), which has many completed and upcoming projects in the Waterloo Region.
A few examples of the completed projects include 203 Albert Street, 258 Sunview Street, and 131 University Avenue, all located in Waterloo.
Every unit for this development is one-bedroom, with a total of 85 units and has a building height of approximately 20m.
The proposal oers 365 square metres of commercial space on the ground floor. The building would have a main entrance for residents separate from the entrance to the commercial units on Albert Street.
On the opposite side of the building fronting Batavia Place, a secondary entrance to Residential units on the main floor is proposed, with outdoor pedestrian-focused areas and amenity space.
Batavia Place is a residential, low-density part of the Northdale neighbourhood in the community. Meanwhile, Albert Street contains a mix of residential-commercial buildings zoned as mixed-use low and medium-density.
The current zoning for the area is (“(H)RN-6”) and stands for ‘Holding Residential Northdale Six.’
The current zoning (RN-6) is the primary zoning. It has a ‘holding’ provision to ensure developers meet all the objectives and criteria of the zoning policies before they can begin construction.
This holding provision is the only amendment Prica has to have lifted to start the development.
In this rare circumstance, no zoning or ocial plan amendments are being requested in this application, as Prica’s application conforms with all zoning and ocial plan policies.
Prica proposes 33 parking spaces for residential, visitor, and commercial use.
Of the 33 parking spaces, 0.20 spaces per dwelling unit for residents is required in the zoning, totalling 17 spaces, which Prica provides along with one barrier-free space.
A total of five parking spaces (0.05 spaces per unit) is a requirement for visitors, which Prica provides, and the remaining 11 spaces are specifically for commercial use. One of the parking spaces is barrier-free, which also meets the city’s requirements.
Also, 26 bicycle spaces are in the proposal, and of the 26 spaces, four spaces are reserved for short-term use by visitors.
The subject lands also fall into an MTSA, specifically the University of Waterloo ION stop, which is only 650 metres away.
Developers do not often find ways to comply with the city’s current zoning and ocial plan without requests for setbacks, parking reductions, or site-specific provisions.
Therefore, the application process is much easier for Prica, and the council has clarified that they have no objections to the proposal.
A public meeting is being held on October 16, 2023, for individuals to ask questions before the amendment of the holding provision, which is currently delaying the construction, is removed.
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