A new apartment building will be built on Athol Street to replace the old one that burned down three years ago.
Port Alberni city council voted to approve a development variance permit that gets the ball rolling for the new building’s construction.
The variances had to do with property parking, setbacks and balconies, a report from city planner Scott Smith noted.
At four storeys and 24 residential units the new building will be slightly bigger than the previous 26-unit building, which was destroyed by fire in 2011.
The variance will allow for the building to have 24 parking spaces rather than the required 30.
The application is unusual in that the owner is only trying to replace the old building, Smith noted.
Having said this, the old building was constructed to old building codes when it was first built in 1964.
The new building must comply with new code requirements, the report notes.
“The proposed variances will not result in an increase in density from the previous apartment building,” Smith’s report noted.
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