There won鈥檛 necessarily be another bakery on Douglas Crescent when the lot that once housed Accent on Pastries is redeveloped. And though the proposed new building will offer both indoor and outdoor space to any potential new tenants, it will rise no higher than a single storey, 91原创 City council learned on Monday night.
Council and members of the public got a look at owners Jack and Dianna Kuyer鈥檚 plans for their property at 20450 Douglas Cres. on Dec. 19, as Wendy Crowe, from Lubor Trubka Associates, outlined a design for a new building in the lot next to the Serenade condominium development.
The Kuyers鈥� building, which housed the bakery for more than 20 years, was crushed in November, 2010 when one of the condominium鈥檚 cinderblock firewalls collapsed during construction.
In her presentation at Monday鈥檚 public hearing, Crowe explained the new building will be a simple design, constructed with generous use of wood 鈥� as is Lubor鈥檚 trademark.
The roofline and a skylight will be two of the building鈥檚 main design features, said Crowe.
The facade of the building will be set back, using glass and Glulam (glued, laminated) timbers, which will be echoed at the front of the property, she said, creating an open wood-framed space, which could be used as a patio, should the building be rented out as a caf茅, for example.
Crowe also addressed the issue of foliage, saying, 鈥淭he aim is to improve Douglas Crescent, by continuous landscaping.鈥� The same landscape architects have been hired who designed the space around the Serenade, she said.
In a letter to council, the Kuyers outlined a number of the problems they鈥檝e had in their efforts to redevelop the narrow parcel of land over the past 13 months, including delays related to their insurance claim.
They said they had looked into the feasibility of constructing a three-storey building, as well as the possibility of working with the owners of a neighbouring building to the west 鈥� to use more land and divide the costs among them.
However, neither option worked out, the letter explained, so they had the architects design a single-storey, 2,000-square foot building.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a nice West Coast design. Too bad it鈥檚 a single storey,鈥� said Councillor Gayle Martin.
鈥淏ut you tried that route and it didn鈥檛 work; it鈥檚 a shame.鈥�
The only member of the public to speak about the presentation was Paul Albrecht, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on City council last month.
He praised the use of wood and the building鈥檚 environmental design, suggesting it would be a good idea to promote the use of local businesses during construction.
In addition to granting a development permit, council agreed to overlook an issue with the building鈥檚 off street (rear) parking.
The property owners purchased three offsite spots in 1977, and although their agreement stipulates that after one year of not being used, the spaces are forfeited, council agreed the Kuyers have found themselves in unusual circumstances.
However, Crowe explained, because of changing regulations over the years 鈥� a handicapped parking space and temporary loading area are now required 鈥� there is space for only two parking stalls behind the building. The property owners agreed to make a cash in lieu payment of $7,500 to compensate for the lack of a third space.
