The Mackenzie Village development, a large mixed residential and commercial development in the Arrow Heights neighbourhood, will be heading back to the public for comment at a public hearing on Aug. 13.
The public will be asked to comment on changes to the Master Development Agreement (MDA), an agreement between the city and the developer about general plans for the proposed development.
The MDA was originally completed in late 2016, and involved a public hearing that brought a big crowd out to the community centre.
Now, a report from city staff recommends revising the MDA to facilitate the construction of phases two and three of the project at 1750 Nichol Road.
In a report and presentation to council, city planner Daniel Sturgeon said the two proposed new phases cover a larger area than the original MDA concept.
“These proposed changes accommodate more precise road alignments and final layout that were determined to best suit the site,” Sturgeon writes in the report.
Watch the staff report and council discussion on changes to the Mackenzie Village Master Development Agreement starting here:
The new modified MDA will also have clearer language “to add certainty of interpretation to future application review processes.”
The report said there will be no changes to allowable density or use, and that the proposed amount of commercial floor space and residential units “are significantly less than what is permitted and have been reduced from previous proposals.”
Phases two and three of the development will be larger than originally planned, but will subtract space from future development phases on the site.
An image of the two new proposed phases, to be located along Nichol Road, shows four main buildings with underground and above-ground parking.
After the public is given the opportunity to speak at the public hearing, council will then deliberate again on the MDA.
Master development agreements are essentially trade-off agreements between the city and a developer. The developer is allowed to do more than would be allowed under standard zoning, but the agreements allow the municipality more say in what happens in the development.
Read our background stories here.