Image: City of Chilliwack / Chilliwack Councillor Jeff Shields.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Development application

Chilliwack councillor calls out ‘out of town developers’ for disrespecting Williams St. neighbourhood

Aug 20, 2025 | 5:53 AM

CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack Councillor Jeff Shields called out the “out of town” developers behind an application to build an apartment complex on two Chilliwack properties that became an eyesore over the past year and beyond.

Shields, a chartered professional accountant by trade, made the remarks Tuesday’s meeting during which councillors considered a request to rezone three properties on Williams Street, including one house that was the subject of multiple bylaw complaints, to facilitate a low rise apartment complex.

Image: File photo, Mike Vanden Bosch / The backyard of 9543 Williams Street in 2024.

“This has been a problem property for years and years,” Shields said. “Out of town developers that haven’t had any respect for our bylaws, our city, the neighbourhood. It’s been said in the past that it’s a little tough to reward them with an amendment bylaw approval when they have not really been respectful of us.”

Common Ground Consulting of Surrey had asked Chilliwack councillors to approve a rezoning application for properties located at 9543, 9557 and 9571 Williams Street, in order to facilitate a future apartment development. The applicant wants to rezone the three properties from an R1-A (urban residential) zone to an R5 (low rise apartment) zone.

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Chilliwack councillors reviewed the rezoning request at their meeting on April 22, 2025 but referred the application back to city staff in order to address all outstanding bylaw infractions, including fines, and demolition of the existing single detached dwellings prior to the application being considered by council. The applicant was asked by staff to resolve all outstanding bylaw complaints, pay all outstanding bylaw fines, demolish the two vacant dwellings at 9543 and 9557 Williams Street, clean and secure the vacant properties through the use of temporary construction fencing and implement a property maintenance plan.

At the July 15, 2025 meeting of Chilliwack City Council, the applicant requested that the file be brought forward despite open bylaw calls on both properties and not having paid all outstanding fines. The application was again referred back to staff to ensure compliance with the above actions.

Image: Common Ground Consulting / The primary partners behind Common Ground Consulting, the company behind the Williams Street project.

The applicant has since paid all outstanding fines, city staff say, and all outstanding bylaw complaints have been resolved, prompting the applicant to again ask that the rezoning application be brought before councillors for their consideration.

Shields asked that staff monitor the applicant, Surrey-based Common Ground Consulting, to ensure they follow all applicable development rules.

“So, I would request of staff, as they move forward with this development, that we monitor them very closely and make sure they follow all the rules of development,” Shields said. “Let’s just keep their feet to the fire on this because we’ve had some other developments in Chilliwack that have not gone through nicely, some stlll in the middle of the process right now, and we need to be on top of these guys. I know that we need it in that area, it could be a nice addition to the area, but we also have to respect there are neighbours in that area that need to be respected, and there needs to be a good timeline on this to get this done.”

Mayor Ken Popove said the developers behind the project made a bad impression with the City of Chilliwack.

“It certainly hasn’t been a good start,” Popove said during Tuesday’s meeting. “I feel with our actions at our last meeting (in July), we’ve certainly put them on notice. Hopefully they got the word.”

Councillor Jason Lum didn’t necessarily defend the developers, but did point out they had done everything city staff asked of them.

Image: City of Chilliwack / Chilliwack Councillor Jason Lum.

“We identified what we wanted to see the applicant do, they’ve since taken action and followed through on that stuff,” Lum said. “It doesn’t get them off the hook from following the further requirements of development on the site, but I hope they stay on that track. Certainly it could have been easier if they did it the right way the first time, but hopefully they can continue on and get these properties developed.”

Councillors wound up voting to approve the rezoning for its first, second and third readings at their meeting Tuesday.