Martensville City Council voted at its meeting on June 4 to approve a discretionary use application for an 87-unit rental apartment complex to be constructed at 225 Main Street.
The four-storey apartment building is an infill development that will occupy what is currently a vacant lot between two other multi-family dwellings, Heritage Manor and Ariel Heights. The lot is currently zoned R3 – High Density Residential.
Martensville City Councillor Darren MacDonald said the proposed multi-unit development fits the current zoning and is suited to that property.
The discretionary use application, submitted by Cliff Rempel on behalf of a numbered company, first came before Martensville council in early January, 2024. Prior to that meeting, a total of 96 notices were mailed out to adjacent property owners advising them of the proposed development.
A public hearing at the January meeting provided a forum for residents concerned about the project.
Among the questions raised at that meeting were: whether there would be sufficient parking space for tenants, whether increased traffic would pose hazards, and whether the new multi-family dwelling would lower property values in the area.
Property owners to the east also expressed concern the new apartment complex would be too close to their existing building.
In response to concerns raised at the public hearing in January, the developer relocated the building to the west side of the property. A portion of the back lane providing access to the parking lot of the new building from 2nd Avenue North will also be paved as part of the servicing agreement for the development.
A traffic impact assessment (TIA) related to the development was conducted by engineering consultants Catterall & Wright earlier this spring, and the report of that study, dated May 11, was tabled at the June 4 council meeting.
The TIA concluded that the additional traffic would not pose any safety concerns.
The multi-family dwelling will be “designed as strictly rental units, with no plans to convert the units to condos,” according to the original discretionary use application filed with the city.
Upon completion of the building, the developer will obtain the services of a professional property management firm to manage the property.
The building will consist of 87 apartment units, including 26 one-bedroom suites, 52 two-bedroom apartments and eight three-bedroom suites.
There will also be one studio suite for guests to rent on a nightly basis. The building will also include an amenities room with kitchenette and washroom on the main floor. There will be two elevators located in the centre of the building.
The building will have 125 parking stalls (29 more than the 96 parking stalls required under city bylaws); with 73 at-grade parking stalls and 52 parking stalls in a below-grade parkade. There will also be nine at-grade visitor parking stalls.