Another Pivot...
We were to meet at the local diner (yes, Denny's), and he was over an hour late. Usually, it was half an hour or so to which I was accustomed. But this time, he was trying my patience. Having had breakfast followed by umpteen cups of coffee, I had just gathered my paperwork, ready to go, when he finally showed up, huffing and puffing. He was stressed.
As an Allwest subscriber-client for over five years, I had gotten to know him well and could tell. "What happened?" I asked. "The City turned me down," he exclaimed. Knowing from whence he had come, I asked, "On what?..."
Here's the Abbreviated Story: Several months before, believing he was pretty fortunate (but not considering why), our Builder-Developer had bought a small parcel of land in West Vancouver, BC, zoned 'single-family residential'. Never developed, the property had remained dormant. The reason, however, only became apparent when our developer finally submitted his subdivision plan for the City's approval.
The Sinclair Street Challenge:
The development plan called for Six Residential Lots to be situated between a high school and a cul-de-sac, with a mountain-fed creek (salmon spawning) in between (see image). So challenged, the developer adopted a standard approach – design-engineering an on-site private road (along the eastern stretch) to serve all the lots collectively. Unfortunately, the City, citing set-back rules, took the position that the parcel was far too narrow for this plan.
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1300 Block Sinclair St., West Vancouver, BC
The governing set-back rules, as the Ministry of Fisheries calls for, require a minimum distance between the building envelope and a salmon spawning creek. The only option was to ask the City to relax its 'building envelope' requirements. Unfortunately, reducing building-lot-envelope sizes to accommodate Fisheries rules was a non-starter for the City. So, the proposed 6-Lot Plan could not comply and was peremptorily rejected.
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Because he had received this news just before our meeting – i.e., our regular 'Allwest' get-together ('Builder Buying Group' supply needs), that was the end of that...
Bewailing his misfortune, his issue became mine... besides, I wanted to be the supply coordinator for the proposed six units; "Let me take a look.", I said.
Overstaying my Denny's welcome, by then, we were out in the parking lot with his Site Plan spread out over the hood of his car. There, he showed me why the City had turned him down. He first pointed to what is now the back/east side of the property, but where the City would not allow him to build his private road. Then he pointed to the Creek Side – telling me he couldn't move the Creek and that the City would not relax their rules. His anxiety rose as he became convinced he was 'whooped'. And, having dropped a significant non-refundable deposit on this property purchase (without subjects), it certainly seemed that he might be.
Response:
I looked at the drawings and probably should have "hummed & hawed" some, but instead, I said: "That's an easy fix!" Astonished, he looked at me and said, "Whadya mean?" And I said...
"Well, where I come from*, whenever it rained too much and a road got washed out, all we did was 'drop two big logs across the 'crick', laying smaller ones for the deck'.
Why can't you do the same?"
*Previous life as a cowhand is BC's Cariboo Country.
...And below (image), you will see the result
Solution:
A re-engineered subdivision plan brought a 'Cariboo-Country fix' to bear, thus meeting the challenge; releasing the parcel's potential. The solution: 'six private bridges' (2 logs & a deck each) laid across the offending creek. This design eliminated the need for the rear-access road, adding 25 feet to the length of each lot. It brought the project into compliance, achieving minimum setback and lot-size requirements. The Google Images show that each of the six lots gained direct access to Sinclair Street. A simple 'eureka moment' unveiled the solution, overcoming what kept this parcel from being developed.
The uncomplicated solution also saved the developer from losing his substantial, nonrefundable deposit. And... I learned my first 'entrepreneurial' real estate development lesson. We'll go through a few more in the Posts to come...
Questions or Observations... Please drop a Comment and let me know!
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