With its tree-lined streets and magnificent mansions, Shaughnessy is a Vancouver neighbourhood that speaks elegance.

Since its inception in the early 1900s, Shaughnessy has always been a predominantly single-family community.

The protection of the neighbourhood’s character is a key mandate of the Shaughnessy Heights Property Owners’ Association (SHPOA), and it pays attention when multi-family developments are proposed in the area.

One of these proposed developments is at a single-family lot at 4575 Granville Street.

According to a rezoning application, the development involves two buildings with a total of 21 townhouses.

Richard Sirola, a vice president with SHPOA, said that the association’s board of directors will take up the proposed development at its next meeting on March 19.

“Basically at this point, SHPOA has been made aware of the development, and our typical way of looking at these things is to discuss at our next board meeting of the executive, and then we will seek comments from our membership and the community,” Sirola told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview.

The building fronting Granville Street will have a height of 3.5 storeys, with 16 stacked townhouses.

The second building at the back of the property will have the remaining five townhouses.

“We’ve just circulated it to the directors, so they can have time to look at it and then we’ll discuss it at the board meeting,” Sirola said. “We tend to do these things in a fairly formal manner rather than having, you know, individual people running around and making comments. I mean I’m sure there have been people discussing things, but then again, it’s unofficial until we take it to a board meeting.”