A proposed three-storey apartment building on Centennial Street should not be allowed, city council was told Tuesday by a handful of neighbouring property owners.

Council heard that a building standing 15 metres high would rob neighbours of their sunlight and their view.

It would take away the privacy of their backyards and change the flavour of the neighbourhood while reducing property values in the area, council was told during the public hearing on the proposal.

“I would just hope that council would consider the look and feel of the neighbourhood and give consideration to the neighbours,” said Cam Kos, a resident of Elm Street, which is one street over.

Scott Darling has applied to have the 1306 Centennial St. lot rezoned from single-family to multi-residential to allow for a nine-unit development.

City council approved first reading of the required zoning bylaw on Sept. 3. A report on the public hearing will go to council Nov. 4 and council will vote on Nov. 12 on whether to pass second and third readings of the bylaw.

In addition to the handful of area residents who voiced opposition last night, city hall has received two letters opposing the project.

The Official Community Plan does allow for multi-family developments on the lot.

Rezoning 1306 Centennial would increase the height restriction from 10 metres to 15 metres.

Members of council were told by administration at a previous meeting the nine units would fit within the maximum density of 11 units allowed.

Administration is recommending the project be approved.

But Centennial Street resident Doug Graham suggested administration has already made up its mind, and has already approved the project on council’s behalf.

Administration should be more objective and less of a cheerleader for the development, Graham told council.

The former city councillor said allowing the project would reduce neighbouring property values while adding more traffic to an already busy Centennial Street.

Based on the height of the “monstrous” new garage Darling is building at the front of the lot along Centennial, the apartment building would be super-high, Graham said.

He said if the city attempts to turn down Darling now, the developer would argue that’s he’s already poured a significant amount of the money into the proposal.

A 15-metre-high apartment building would overshadow the neighbourhood, Graham insisted.

The developer told council he’s been in the business for 26 years, and he understands how change can be difficult to accept.

Darling said it’s not his intent to disrupt anybody.

The neighbourhood, he said, is not all single-family residential as there are a number of commercial properties along Centennial, including the former garden centre right across the street.

He said there’s the crematorium and print shop down the street in one direction and the Super A grocery store down the street in the other direction.

The intent is to do everything they can to build an apartment complex that blends into the neighbourhood, that is part of the community, Darling said.

He said they went forward with the garage development because he wanted to keep some of his crew working, and in recognition of the short building season.

The project was first presented to city hall in July, and council did take the month of August off, he pointed out.

Darling said the garage was approved and is fully permitted by the city.

It was located at the front of the property after discussions with city staff suggested parking for the apartment building should be at the rear of the lot, he said.

Darling said as a result of those discussions, they moved both the garage and the location of the proposed apartment building closer to Centennial.

The garage would be attached to the building, as it would house some of the mechanical and electrical work required by the apartment complex and the elevator that is part of the proposal, he said.

Darling said the garage was located where it is so that if the project is not approved, the lot can still be subdivided to make way for an alternative development.

Elm Street resident Bob Kostelnik told council the project would be a disruption to the neighbourhood. It’s a neighbourhood that has seen many older homes undergo improvements lately, a neighbourhood where there have been many new single-family and duplex developments, all in keeping with the existing character, he said.

Kostelnik said there are multi-family lots available in the Whistle Bend subdivision, and more to come.

There’s a likelihood Darling’s development would include funding from the Yukon Housing Corp., which would mean introducing high-risk tenants to the area and a likelihood of even more increased crime, Kostelnik told city council.

Coun. Steve Roddick objected to Kostelnik’s link between Yukon Housing and high-risk tenants.

The developer told council he has not had any contact with Yukon Housing in any way, shape or form.

Kostelnik also wrote one of the two letters sent to city hall objecting to the development. The other one was sent by another resident of Elm Street.