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Manteo plans towers, townhouses

MONDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 2013 18:00 J.P. SQUIRE

Manteo Beach Club Inc. is planning a major redevelopment of its Lakeshore Road resort, including 18 townhouses and two highrises.
An official community plan amendment to allow 10- and 12-storey apartment hotels received preliminary approval from city council Monday and will go to a public hearing on March 12. The company plans its own public meeting on March 4.
The project, under discussion for the past couple of years, would proceed in three phases with 18 townhouses proposed in the next year or two for the adjacent 44-unit Lakeshore Inn, which has deteriorated since a major facade upgrade in 1999.
The company plans to wait until existing Manteo leases expire in 10 years and then during the next 10-15 years, a 12-storey, 69-unit tower would be added in the second phase and a 10-storey, 77-unit tower in phase three. Both would be located in the centre of the property to maintain views of the lake and surrounding area and avoid putting neighbours in shadow.
The redevelopment would also have additional 775 square metres of commercial space for tourist shops and a 363-square-metre expansion to convention facilities.
Since the OCP only allows six storeys, Manteo offered to dedicate and restore a 10-metre wide riparian strip along the lake to complete a two-metre-wide public walkway from Rotary Beach to the mouth of Mission Creek and along Wilson Creek. That work could start as early as 2014.
Manteo also plans an expanded pool and open spaces on the waterfront as well as providing 29 more parking spaces than required, a total of 313, to solve current parking challenges.
Coun. Robert Hobson recalled the initial application to build Manteo Resort was "highly controversial" at the time and he's expecting more.
He commended everyone involved in an "exciting" project while Coun. Luke Stack praised the "fantastic" public walkway. Stack added the trade-offs of increased height for public access to the waterfront was reminiscent of the high-density development around Waterfront Park.

http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/fr...ses-22613.html