Journal Staff
Sarnia council amended its zoning rules last week to greenlight a 12-story apartment building that was too big for its lot.
The upscale high-rise at London Road and Christina Street will bring another 126 residential units to the city’s downtown and be similar to the adjacent Water’s Edge Apartments at 392 Front St., also owned by Tricar Developments Inc.
To accommodate the building on the vacant lot at 383 Christina St., however, council needed to amend the current commercial zoning to provide relief on 11 requirements, including a lack of parking, shorter setbacks and less landscaping.
City planner Max Williams noted if the zoning rules for the downtown core were extended to that site, nine of the variances would be permissible.
The biggest problem, insufficient parking, will be resolved by the owners offering new tenants about 30 existing but unused parking spaces at Water’s Edge, he said.
A site plan shows the south end of the high-rise very close to London Road, with balconies set back just 1.3 metres from the lot line.
The project also proposes a ground floor, 2,000-square-foot commercial space the corner of London and Christina.