Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (July 15/02) - Iqaluit city council is hindering development in a city that desperately needs housing, say local developers.

Council recently rejected a proposal by Ninety North to build a four-storey building across from the legislative assembly -- calling the design ugly and too large.

The building would have contained one floor of commercial office space and 48 apartments.

Kenn Harper of Northern Property Real Estate and Investment Trust -- the developer behind the proposed project -- said he spent $28,000 developing a proposal that met all the bylaw requirements. He said the building is attractive.

"You probably wouldn't let me buy your furniture and I wouldn't let you buy mine," he said. "It's too subjective a call for a local council to regulate."

Section 4.4 of a city bylaw states the design, size, character, architectural appearance and landscaping of development must be to the satisfaction of the development officer or the council -- so that new development won't detract from the appearance or character of the neighbourhood.

"That's where they think they're getting all this discretion from," said Harper. "It doesn't say it should be to the satisfaction of the development officer AND the council."

The city's development office recommended approving the project -- with certain conditions including that council decides it conforms to Section 4.4.

But the planning committee rejected the planning office's recommendation and then council nixed the development.

Harper said if the city plans to reject development based on "subjective" qualities, it should issue a set of guidelines and publicize them so developers can plan around that.

"If they don't want polka dot buildings, they should issue a set of guidelines saying don't build a polka dot building. I'm extremely frustrated...the city desperately needs housing," he said.

Building pretty too expensive

Steve Cook, president of the Iqaluit Chamber of Commerce and general manager of Nunastar Properties doesn't think the building is functional, but not ugly.

But he said because of high building costs, private companies do not "have the luxury of designing pretty buildings. Whenever you start changing direction from a functional design, the cost goes up significantly," he said. "And that cost is passed on to the community in the form of higher rents."

He said in a community with already high rents, "I have difficulty reconciling council's decision to reject it on the basis of design." He agrees the city should work with designers, architects and developers earlier in the process.

"The city talks about partnering with the development community. The problem is they are talking it, but not walking it."

"The message we are hearing is they are not happy with the proposal. But the message they are going to hear from us is we want a different process that doesn't get us so far along that road before we know what they're desires are."