City council is being asked to approve two more rezoning applications to provide for new neighbourhoods.

A group of local investors wants to build a 35-unit housing development on a three-hectare parcel of the vacant land along Wann Road, in the low area between Centennial Street and the housing surrounding the Porter Creek Mall.

Another group is seeking permission to proceed with 16 country residential lots as phase two of Raven's Ridge.

Larry Turner of Crocus Glen Development told council at its meeting Monday night his company would like the zoning changed in the area along Wann to allow for a taller height restriction, from six metres to 10.

The company is intending is to build and sell the single-detached houses under a condominium style arrangement, council was told.

Turner said the one- and two-storey homes will range in size from 750 square feet of finished living space to more than 1,400 square feet. Each house would have an unfinished basement in addition to the finished area.

The lots, he told council, will average about 460 square metres.

Turner said in an interview this morning the company plans to begin site preparation in early May, as the project has already been approved by the city's development review committee.

The zoning amendment, he said, will provide for the two-storey design for some of the homes, to a maximum height of 8.5 metres.

Turner said the company is looking at six different design options so the neighbourhood will have variety.

Houses will be on the market this year, with the last of the homes available by next spring, he said.

Raven's Ridge Development, meanwhile, is asking council to rezone a parcel adjacent to phase one from land earmarked for parks and recreation to country residential.

Designation of the area in the Official Community Plan was changed in the new OCP adopted in 2010 from future development to country residential, council was told last night.

Senior city planner Kinden Kosick said the development company has already hired EBA Engineering to conduct an analysis to determine whether the additional 16 lots will have any impact on the 18 lots sold in phase one.

The city's moratorium on the subdivision of country residential lots was implemented over concern that increasing densities in country residential neighourhoods could have a negative impact, Kosick reminded member of council.

He said the work being done by EBA is intended to determine whether they'll be any impact on the water table and the ability for the area to absorb more septic fields.

Council, he said, can defer a decision on the rezoning request until after the EBA analysis is complete.

First reading of the required bylaw to allow the rezoning is scheduled for next week. A public hearing is scheduled for May 14, with the final vote penciled in for May 28.

Though council was told the Mount McIntyre Ski Club supports the rezoning application for phase two of Raven's Ridge, Coun. Dave Stockdale asked for written confirmation from the club.

There appeared to be some conflicting information when phase one went forward, Stockdale suggested, in obvious reference to the situation that required the club to reroute some of its trails off of the privately owned land.

Coun. Florence Roberts expressed concern that there will still only be one roadway in and out of Raven's Ridge.

When phase one was developed, she said, she was assured that if phase two ever went ahead, there would be another access route.

Kosick told members of council because of steep slopes in the area, a second road access is not possible, though a pedestrian path to the Alaska Highway will be built.

The city, Stockdale said, could always require that potential buyers be made aware of having only one road access in case of fire.