A plan to develop the former Avalon Dairy property at 5805 Wales St. hit a snag earlier this month when the Urban Design Panel (UDP) voted 7-0 against a revised version of the proposal. But city staff say the proponent is working on further revisions based on advice from the UDP and is tentatively scheduled to go back before the panel March 26.

The UDP is an advisory body to the city. Its decisions are not binding on the city.

Avalonna Homes bought the Avalon Dairy property for $6 million in 2011. It’s zoned single-family residential, so the owner could subdivide it into 10 or 11 lots, but the city is willing to consider extra density in order to preserve the Craftsman-style farmhouse on the lot, which Avalon founder Jeremiah Crowley built in 1908.

The UDP voted unanimously against an earlier proposal in 2013. Brian Jackson, the city’s manager of planning and development, told the Courier that the panel cited many reasons, including too much density, the need for more space in front of the house for urban agriculture, concern about shadow impacts on the open space, and that the buildings are too close together and not family friendly.

Read more: http://www.vancourier.com/news/developing-story-avalon-developer-prepares-revised-proposal-1.805449

The City of New Westminster is optimistic it will sell Merchant Square, if this year’s budget is any indication.

Colleen Ponzini, the city’s manager of financial services, said the 2014 budget projects the sale of the Merchant Square officer tower that’s now under construction on Columbia Street. If the city doesn’t sell the office tower, she said the city would see a “significant increase” in bank charges related to the loan authorization bylaw.

“The plan is to have it sold, and we pay it back in this current year,” she told council at its Jan. 20 committee of the whole meeting.

According to Ponzini, the city will be incurring some new debt under the loan authorization bylaw. She said a good portion of the $570,000 debt would be for Anvil Centre and the office tower.

New Westminster city council received a staff report on the 2014 to 2018 financial plan, which includes the 2014 budget. The city is proposing a 1.28 per cent tax increase in 2014, which would rise to 2.59 per cent if a number of priority initiatives proposed by staff are included.

Read more: http://www.royalcityrecord.com/new-westminster-aims-to-sell-merchant-square-in-2014-1.795848#sthash.QG644KYy.dpuf