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Public hearings on four South Surrey projects tonight at city hall

Feng shui impact cited as concern with proposed Crescent Road home
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Renaming of the historic H.C. Major House, near South Surrey’s Crescent Park, is to be part of a public hearing discussion tonight at Surrey City Hall. (City of Surrey photo)

Four public hearings set for tonight at Surrey City Hall are concerning projects either underway or proposed for South Surrey.

An application for a Heritage Revitalization Agreement aimed, in part, at allowing the construction of a new home on the same property as the historic H.C. Major House, near Crescent Park, has one neighbour concerned the new building will “alter the Fengshui” of their own lot, City of Surrey documents state.

According to a Dec. 18, 2017 planning report, the correspondence was received after pre-notification letters were sent to property owners within 100 metres of 12876 Crescent Rd. in August of 2016.

The concerned citizen – who is not identified in the report – “requested that a triangular shaped roof top not be pointed directly at the main door of the house and the main gate of the property,” the report states.

A further comment regarding the correspondence notes the proposed second dwelling is to be – as with the heritage home – craftsman-style, a style “denoted by triangular roof peaks.”

And that, according to the report, along with site constraints, means “the siting options to avoid this issue are limited.”

According to a public hearing notice, the bylaw sought is to also “facilitate the restoration and long-term protection” of the 1922-built H.C. Major House.

In November, the Heritage Advisory Commission recommended council support the HRA. As well, that council support renaming of the property to the Brynjolfson Residence, a reference to Icelander Sveinn Brynjolfson, who acquired the property in 1908.

City planning staff note that issues to be resolved prior to adoption of the bylaw include that the applicant enter into an agreement to purchase a portion of city-owned parkland at 2610 128 St., and to sell a portion of their own lot to the city for park purposes.

Other South Surrey-focused items on tonight’s public-hearing list include a rezoning application for four lots in the 16300-block of 20 Avenue, for a phased development that will add more than 300 townhouses to the area; and a zoning amendment bylaw to eliminate a proposed business centre in one of two previously approved buildings, at 15436 31 Ave.

Regarding the latter, a city report explains that the applicant wants to replace the business-centre space with three additional residential units for a four-storey apartment building, due to “limited success” of a business centre in the development’s first phase, at 15428 31 Ave.

Both buildings were first approved in 2008.

The fourth public hearing is regarding a request to redesignate three Ocean Park lots urban, and rezone them semi-detached residential, in order to create a 12-unit subdivision. An existing dwelling is proposed to be retained, according to a public hearing notice.

Tonight’s hearings are scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m. Surrey City Hall is located at 13450 104 Ave.



Tracy Holmes

About the Author: Tracy Holmes

Tracy Holmes has been a reporter with Peace Arch News since 1997.
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