Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Update: 40-unit multi-family development proposed in the Hart moves forward

A B.C. numbered company is looking to build on a vacant lot at the corner of Handlen Road and Kelly Road South.
handle-road-apartment
A B.C. numbered company is seeking to build a 40-unit multi-family development on a vacant lot located at 4393 Handlen Rd., near Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary School.

On Monday, city council approved the first two readings of a rezoning bylaw to facilitate a multi-family development on Handlen Road in the Hart.

A B.C. numbered company is seeking to rezone land at the corner of Handlen Road and Kelly Road South to facilitate development of multi-family development of up to 40 units, according to a report to Prince George city council. The developer is seeking to rezone the 0.78-acre (0.32-hectare) lot at 4393 Handlen Rd., near Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary School, from C6: Highway Commercial to RM5: Multiple Residential.

City council approved the first two readings of the zoning bylaw without debate. Final reading won't be considered by city council until the developer submits a traffic impact analysis and servicing brief to city staff.

City council received five letters from area residents in support of the development, seven raising concerns about it and six letters in opposition to the development.

Many of those who wrote in opposition to the project raised concerns about increasing traffic at an already-busy intersection and the lack of sidewalks for students walking to the nearby schools.

Under the proposed zoning, the developer could build an apartment, townhouses, four-plexes or congregate living facility of up to 125 units per hectare. The maximum height allowed under the proposed zoning is 15 metres and no more than four storeys.

"The vision for the subject property is to provide one modest sized apartment building as permitted within the proposed RM5 zone," a supporting document submitted to city council by L&M Engineering says.

While the maximum allowable units is 40, practical limits on the site mean it's unlikely the building will be that large, the document says. Traffic will access the site from Handlen Road only, the letter says.

According to BC Assessment, the lot was last sold in August 2022 for $220,000.