The Fifth and Fifth Fernie development is raising an important question: how should Fernie balance new housing with the protection of its historic character?
Mountain House Development Corporation is proposing a 43-unit, five-storey residential building on three vacant lots at 502, 522 and 542 5th Avenue, directly behind Holy Family Catholic Church.
The project would reach 16 metres in height and include studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, along with 43 parking stalls. The homes would be market-rate strata units.
City planning staff support the rezoning, noting that the property is close to downtown, already serviced and designated in the Official Community Plan for Residential Infill and Intensification. Fernie’s Housing Needs Report also identifies a need for hundreds of additional homes by 2030.
Those are strong arguments for residential development on the site.
But concerns about the scale of the building are also reasonable.
The Holy Family Church is recognized in the OCP as a building with heritage value. The proposed development would be taller than the church’s estimated 13.7-metre roof ridge and would become a significant part of its backdrop. The developer’s own renderings make that relationship clear.
A group of residents, parishioners and heritage advocates has now launched a petition opposing the proposal in its current form.
Some of the language being used against the project is overstated. This is not an “extreme height variance” — no variance is being requested. The developer is seeking a rezoning that would permit a 16-metre building. Downtown zoning elsewhere in Fernie allows up to 18 metres.
Likewise, City staff do not agree that the proposal violates the OCP. Their assessment is that the project is consistent with the plan when its housing, infill and heritage policies are considered together. Read the City Request For Decision here.
That does not mean the current design should automatically be accepted. Is There a Compromise?
The real debate does not have to be housing versus heritage.
This is a logical location for residential infill, but it is also a sensitive location beside one of Fernie’s most recognizable historic buildings.
A lower building, a more substantial upper-floor setback or another reduction in mass could preserve much of the proposed housing while reducing the impact on Holy Family Church.
Fernie needs more housing, but that doesn’t mean every proposed density or design must be accepted exactly as submitted.
The better question for Council may be: How much housing can reasonably be built on this site while still respecting the historic character of the block?
Editor
