Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 2/12/2010 (3590 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City council’s appeal committee has allowed an apartment building to rise in the Linden Ridge neighbourhood – provided it winds up being two storeys shorter than originally planned.

Developer Gord Howard hoped to build a seven-storey, 186-unit residential building on commercial land south of Dovercourt Drive, south of McGillivray Road. The city’s board of adjustment provided him with a conditional use and a zoning variance in August.

More than 100 people appealed the decision, primarily on the grounds the proposed building would be too tall for the southwest Winnipeg neighbourhood.

Couns. Scott Fielding (St. James) and Justin Swandel (St. Norbert) allowed the appeal in part, allowing the building to proceed, but only at five storeys.

The third member of the committee, River Heights Coun. John Orlikow, could not preside over the hearing because he opposed the development at the board of adjustment.

Following the hearing, a disappointed Howard said he will take some time to decide whether to move forward with an amended plan. Winnipeg has a critical shortage of residential apartments, he said, noted high construction costs encourage developers to plan larger-scale projects.

Appellant Karen Menkis, a former Linden Ridge resident, said she hoped Howard will come back with another plan and said the land in question is perfect for residential development.