A public hearing is set for a proposed four-building development in Comox on Aspen Road, a project a group of Comox citizens is concerned may 鈥渃hange (the) community of northwest Comox.鈥�

At Wednesday鈥檚 council meeting, Christina Wilson, vice-president of development and sales of Highstreet Ventures Inc. said the company recognized the need for rental housing within the town.

The proposal, located at 695 Aspen Rd., would be for three four-storey residential apartment buildings and one four storey mixed-use residential/commercial building.

Wilson added there would be 73 one-bedroom, one-bath units, 159 two-bedroom, two-bath units for a total of 208 market rentals and 24 for-sale condos. There would also be ground-floor commercial space for a total of approximately 1,000 square feet.

Highstreet is proposing $142,000 cash-in-lieu for the Town鈥檚 affordable housing reserve fund, to offer six units in the condo building at below cost as well as offering a portion of the ground-floor commercial space for a daycare.

RELATED: Kelowna developer proposing more than 200 rental units in Comox

Highstreet Ventures, based in Kelowna, has developments and buildings primarily in western Canada. Within the Comox Valley, they have built the Riverwalk Centre and Riverstone condo building in Courtenay.

Last year, Wilson told The Record one of the goals of their company is to have 1,000 net-zero homes by 2024. The proposed Comox development would be built to Built Green Platinum and Step 4 of the BC Energy Step Code.

Following Wilson鈥檚 presentation to council, Comox citizen Rita Walls presented council a petition with more than 500 signatures from town residents against the project.

She noted the 鈥渕ega-housing project鈥� would change the community, and presented concerns about traffic flow, parking and overall site density.

鈥淲e as a group are not against development, but we are against the high density proposed,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭his project should not happen without community support.鈥�

Coun. Ken Grant inquired with Wilson what would happen to the project if the heights of the buildings were changed.

鈥淭he impact would be that the project wouldn鈥檛 be able to move ahead,鈥� she replied.

Council approved first and second reading of the zoning amendment and phased development agreement authorization bylaw, and a public hearing is scheduled for March 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Comox Community Centre.

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