A sketch of the proposed student housing development on Wakesiah Ave. in Nanaimo, which was given a development permit by Council on Monday, June 7. (City of Nanaimo)

By Alex Rawnsley

PARKING WOES

New student housing complex approved as Nanaimo council mulls active transportation issues

Jun 14, 2021 | 6:09 AM

NANAIMO — A sizeable student housing development on Wakesiah Ave. took another step forward, but not without concern on domino effects to the surrounding area.

City council approved a development permit application on Monday, June 7, for 165-bed student housing complex at 326 Wakesiah Ave., immediately opposite Nanaimo District Secondary School.

The project was given the green light with a minor parking variance, reducing the number of parking spaces for the building to 62.

“As this is student housing right next door to the university and also with the use of our bicycle routes and everything that’s improving in active transportation, I would hope we wouldn’t have every student in there with a car,” coun. Zeni Maartman said.

The issue of parking and active transportation quickly overshadowed the housing development itself.

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Council weighed up adding to an increasing parking crunch in the neighbourhood, with ongoing work to encourage the use of bikes and transit.

Coun. Sheryl Armstrong, who sat on a committee with VIU to discuss parking issues said, the problem along the Wakesiah Ave. corridor causes arguments with neighbours and regular police calls.

“(Students) are parking in the neighbourhoods. A lot of them have jobs, they can’t use the bus system to get to their jobs in time.”

The university operates around 2,300 paid and residence parking spaces at its Nanaimo campus.

Richard Lewis, VIU associate vice president of facilities and auxillary services, told NanaimoNewsNOW parking issues typically occurred in peak mid-morning times, but were signficantly less in the early afternoons.

He added parking spaces allocated to students in residence were typically under-used and ongoing tweaks to how students learn could ease the problem permanently moving forward.

“We expect there to be more online learning taking place and less demand on parking as a result as well. Moving forward, we actually think we’re going to be in a much better place than we have been historically.”

VIU’s own student housing residence on campus has around 500 beds occupied in a typical year.

Any addition of student-focused housing in the university district is seen as a positive by Lewis.

“The lengthy wait list we take every year would certainly indicate to me quite a bit of demand for more housing. We know housing in general in the region, there’s some shortages when it comes to cost-effective rental housing in the area.”

Mayor Leonard Krog said the need for housing far outweighed any ramifications of parking.

“In a contest between accommodation in a community that is desperate for housing, where new rental stock one bedroom is going for $1,100, $1,200 or $1,300 a month…I have to consider more importantly the ability of students to have accommodations to attend our university, get an education, skills, training and better their lives.”

The four-storey building would also include three retail stores.

The permit and attached variance was approved by a 7-2 vote, with councillors Armstrong and Ian Thorpe voting against.

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alex.rawnsley@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley