Despite opposition, Chilliwack councillors OK rezoning application for 153-unit project at Airport/Yale

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

A proposed 153-unit, six-storey development envisioned for the corner of Yale Road and Airport Road. (Image Credit: Gatehouse Developments.)

Proposed development

Despite opposition, Chilliwack councillors OK rezoning application for 153-unit project at Airport/Yale

2h ago

One dead in crash between vehicle and motorcycle in Langley, B.C.

5h ago

Police investigation

Newcomer to Mission arrested yet again for more catalytic converter thefts: RCMP

5h ago

The City of Chilliwack received multiple emails of concern around traffic, access, potential interaction between vehicles and students during drop-off and pick-up times.

One parent wrote, “Traffic around Yale Road and Airport Road is already extremely congested during school drop-off and pick-up. Vehicles back up as parents enter and exit the schools, while regular traffic continues through the area. At the same time, many students from both Cascade Christian School and Imagine High are walking and crossing these roads. Adding a development of this size would bring significantly more vehicles into an area that already struggles to safely accommodate the traffic that is there. For me, this isn’t about the inconvenience of sitting in traffic. It is about safety. More vehicles mean more turning traffic, greater congestion and more interaction between vehicles and students.”

The city also received a two-page letter from the chair of the Cascade Christian School Society, Tim Devisser, and the pastor of Midtown Church, Matt Dressler, expressing concerns centred primarily around traffic congestion and intersection safety. They wrote that the Airport Road/Yale Road intersection already experiences significant congestion, particularly during school drop-off and pickup. They said adding 153 residential units and commercial space could worsen the congestion without a clear traffic-mitigation plan.

Among the concerns cited by Devisser and Dressler, they said the proposed development would require an easement to be significantly realigned, including having the roadway rise over the project’s underground parking structure. They questioned whether the proposed elevation change—approximately four feet—would safely accommodate emergency vehicles and full-size buses.

They said their early understanding of the site’s future, which was shared to them by the previous owner at the time the property was sold, was for a modest two-storey commercial building, potentially including a drive-through restaurant. Their letter stated they were supportive of development along those lines, provided that it didn’t interfere with the safe day-to-day operations of their school and church.

Devisser and Dressler said the proposed project could negatively affect the adjacent school and church, particularly when Cascade Christian is already operating at capacity. The shared partnership between the school and church owns a 1/3-acre adjacent lot at 45573 Airport Road. The school is planning an expansion on that property, and their letter states that preliminary plans have already been developed.

Renderings for a proposed building at 45573 Airport Road in Chilliwack. (Image Credit: City of Chilliwack.)

“Taking these concerns together, it is the shared position of the Cascade Christian School Board and the Midtown Church that the density proposed for this development is too great for this specific location, given the existing traffic, parking, shared-access conditions already present at the intersection and our own future development,” their letter stated.

The current development plan calls for an access point into the development between Chilliwack Ford and the northwest corner of Yale/Airport.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Councillor Kloot asked several questions of staff to clarify the access point for the development. Kloot said the city received what he called “substantial” correspondence from parents of children that attend Cascade Christian School, but some neighbours as well.

“It sounds like the access (point) will rise, there’s a bit of an incline, and (it will) come down over the parkade,” Kloot said. “Would the city have any tools to make sure that it confirms to all safety standards?”

Gillian Villeneuve, Director of Planning for the City of Chilliwack, said, “Yes, the city would be reviewing those through the development and building permit applications, the civil design. The developer and both schools have signed an MOU with respect to realigning the easement, so that would be required to be complete prior to the issuance of a building permit as well.”

Villeneuve said the developer will be dedicating land for a southbound right-turning lane, and plans to construct a right-in, right-out, at the north end of the subject property to allow access for the schools prior to construction of the new development.

Kloot asked whether there might be cement islands on Yale Road as part of the development.

Kevin Pollard, Assistant Manager of Transportation and Drainage for the City of Chilliwack, said a physical restriction would be built to allow only for right-in, right-out movements.

Pollard said, “Future centre median or delineators are not planned currently by the developer, but certainly we would ensure through the detailed design review that those physical barriers to force the right-in, right-out would be sufficient to work as intended.”

Kloot asked if it would be similar to what’s in front of Real Canadian Superstore on Luckakuck Way.

Pollard clarified that there would be concrete involved at the access point, but not in the median lane in the middle of Yale Road itself.

Councillor Nicole Read asked if there was any commercial parking required as part of the development application, to which Villeneuve said the proposed 176 parking stalls accounts for all of the residential, commercial and visitor parking.

Villeneuve added, in response to an additional question from Councillor Read, that all of the commercial and visitor parking would be on the surface level, while residential parking would be underground. Residential parking would be separated from commercial and visitor parking and have appropriate signage, Villeneuve said.

Councillors wound up voting unanimously to approve the rezoning application.

In a text message to Fraser Valley Today Wednesday morning, Councillor Kloot said the proposed development will still need to come to a public hearing for variances, and access to the development from Yale Road will be vastly improved.