Third Phase of Oakridge Vancouver to Include Community Facilities and Social Housing Tower

The development permit application has been filed for Oakridge Centre’s third phase. Oakridge Centre is owned by Quadreal and Westbank who previously rezoned the 28-acre site to allow a reconfigured mall, with several residential towers, office space, amenities and a public park.

The first and second phase of ‘Oakridge Vancouver‘ comprise the buildings along the North and East portion of the overall site and were approved for a development permit in late 2018 and early 2019.

This third development permit application consists of Northwest corner of the site, where the Bay surface parking currently is.

The application for this phase includes the following:

• a new 5-storey Civic Centre comprising:
  • a Fitness Centre, Library, Child Daycare Facility, 55+ Senior’s Centre, Youth Services Hub, Performance Space, Artist-in-Residence Studios, and associated ancillary Cultural/Recreational spaces
• a new 22-storey tower containing 187 Social Housing Units;
• three levels of underground parking with 208 stalls;
• A portion of the future 9-acre Park;
• A total Floor Space Ratio of 0.11 FSR.

This is one of two non-market portions of the overall project. A future 10-storey building with 102 social housing units will be built as part of a later phase.

The application describes the design rationale: “The architectural expression of the DP4 scope of the project facilitates a gradual transition from the Oakridge buildings into the low-rise surrounding neighbourhood, serving as a gateway into the site. The corner of the West 41st Avenue and New Street is at the confluence of shifting urban scales. The Civic Centre and Social Housing tower bridge the urban scale between Buildings 3 & 4 and the surrounding low-rise neighbourhood to the west. Similarly, the Social Housing tower massing transitions to the south into a ribbon of mid-rise buildings along New Street, echoing the scale of the surrounding neighbourhood. The curved massing of the Civic Centre delineates and embraces the at-grade Civic Park, acting not just as a pedestrian and vehicular gateway to the site along West 41st Avenue, but also from the neighbourhood to the park through its central atrium. Around the Civic Centre, active plazas and public spaces help mediate between the surrounding urban scales.”

The architect for the project is Henriquez Partners.