The Parr Local Area Plan is an opportunity to create a new compact neighbourhood that provides a diversity and choice of housing while integrating built form character and landscape enhancements into the existing hillside environment, all supported by trails, parks, and neighbourhood services.

The planning area includes a variety of challenges including steep slopes, environmentally sensitive areas with watercourses, significantly treed areas, and wildlife corridors and habitats.

During the short-term, the Parr to Prentis Avenue area is recognized as an area that requires a plan.

Parr in the OCP

The majority of the Parr Local Area Plan study area is designated in Mission’s OCP as Attached Multi-unit Residential, which is indicated in orange on the following map. This OCP land use designation allows for single-family development with multi-unit housing in a comprehensively planned format. It should be noted that a single-family subdivision has been approved and is established within the first phase of this area between Best and Parr Avenues.

Other designations showing on this map are:

• Parks and Open Space (light green)
• Environmentally Sensitive Area/ESA (shown in dark green)

The plan will shape future development in a manner that respects the environmental features and uniqueness of this area.

Parr Neighbourhood Planning Goals

The three land use concepts presented in this consultation were created with the following guiding planning objectives:

• Environmental Sensitivity: Conserve the watercourses and riparian areas as well as the significant vegetation groups on the site.
• Views: Conserve the principle views from Westminster Abbey and the adjoining communities.
• Diversity of Housing: Provide a diversity of housing on the site in the form of single family, duplex, townhomes, row homes, and low to mid-rise rental apartments and condominiums.
• Form and Character: Include a variety of building forms and character in the development that step down and integrates with the hillside landscape, minimizing visual intrusion into the landscape and reducing associated site development costs.
• Parks, Trails, and Recreation: Develop a comprehensive and interconnected trail and pathway network that connects internally with the various development clusters and externally with the surrounding communities and significant parks.
• Access and Mobility: Provide a fully integrated street system that connects to Stave Lake Street and contributes to the upgrading of Stave Lake Street to adequately service the resident population within and adjacent to the site.

Common Features to All Three Land Use Concepts

While there are key features defining each of the land use concepts, there are also common features that unite them all, such as:

• Use of a common base map that incorporates the ravines and watercourses, steep slopes and other natural features of this area where environmental protection includes a 15-metre setback from the top of bank;
• Defined areas to be protected from development in order to provide a community designed to incorporate with this significant natural setting;
• A connected trail network to provide direct and safe pedestrian and cycling access throughout the neighbourhood;
• Two of the options provide a park in a central location;
• Variety of housing types and densities where apartments would have a maximum height of six storeys;
• Protection of views across this site is an important design principle of each option, to ensure views for residents of this new neighbourhood as well as for the surrounding community

Please note: the land use legends for each of the land use concepts will be slightly different on each one. Residential development includes the range of housing from single family (lowest density) to townhouses and row housing (mid-range) to apartments with a six-storey maximum height.

Now let’s look at the key features of each of the three draft land use concepts.

We will first look at each land use concept individually. You can indicate which features of each concept you think is best for the Parr neighbourhood and for Mission, as well as your general feedback.