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This article was published 11/12/2019 (1265 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A council committee has cleared the final hurdle for the redevelopment of the former Osborne Village Inn site and adjacent property.

Councillors on the appeal committee Wednesday morning rejected objections from two area residents who wanted to block the project, arguing it’s inappropriate for the neighbourhood and doesn’t meet the needs of families.

But councillors praised the concept, citing the need for more rental accommodations in Osborne Village.

The proposal involves replacing the long-shuttered Osborne Village Inn with a six-storey building — a restaurant and commercial space on the ground floor and rental residential units on the other five. Two four-storey buildings will also be constructed on Wardlaw Avenue — one immediately to the east of Osborne and the other across the street.

All residential units in the three buildings will be one- and two-bedroom rental units.

Representatives of the developer, Private Pension Partners, said that despite the two objections, the project had the support of the neighbourhood.

Design features of the proposal include interior courtyards with facing balconies and small parks surrounding the buildings.

The residential units are zoned to allow residents to operate small-scale, home-based businesses. City officials said the zoning allows residents to work in their units but no commercial transactions are allowed and customers are not allowed inside.

The committee amended the project, linking its approval to a guarantee of public access to the site’s park areas.

Coun. Matt Allard said that while the developer is committed to public access to the site’s parks, the city needs guarantees public access will be maintained in the event of an ownership change.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca