Wanson Development is planning a new 6-storey residential building in the Lynn Creek area of North Vancouver, just a couple of blocks South of the Seylynn Village project which is half complete. The site is located at 467 Mountain Highway, just South of Hunter Street. This is currently an industrial area, but portions fronting Mountain Highway were redesignated for mixed-use a few years ago.

Plans for the 18,600 SF site include:

• a 6-storey building
• 63 condo units (24% one-bedrooms, 66% two-bedrooms, 10% three-bedrooms)
• 6 ground-floor retail units totaling 5,663 SF
• a building height of 75.5 feet
• a total density of 3.5 FSR
• two levels of underground parking

The rezoning requires a total CAC payment of $705,000, equivalent to $16.50 per SF for density above 1.2 FSR base. Wanson had acquired the site in 2014 for $4,800,000, or $74 per buildable SF.

The building features an interesting central courtyard layout. The architect for the project is Francl Architecture.

Shape Properties is proceeding with a formal rezoning application for the first residential tower in The City of Lougheed, the project name for the 40-acre Lougheed mall site that was approved for redevelopment under a master plan earlier this year to include 23 residential towers.

The application for the first phase of the project is in a prominent part of the site at the Southeast corner (Northwest corner of North Rd and Austin Ave). The plan includes:

• a 55-storey residential tower
• a total building height of 520 ft.
• 566 units
• 517,000 SF of residential area
• a total density of 2.60 FAR
• 590 underground parking spaces

The application describes the design: “The floor plates of the subject Tower 1 are arranged in two massing volumes that offer a different height extrusion of one part against the other. The larger of the two parts extends up to 55 storeys while the smaller part sits at 47-storeys. This arrangement provides for a landscaped terrace and exposed elevator core.”

Next week the City of Vancouver will consider recommendations to revise DCL and CAC rates. This comes following a decision earlier this year to allow increases to CAC (Community Amenity Contribution) target rates that did not have an inflation mechanism similar to Development Cost Levies (DCL’s – which allowed inflation starting back in 2009). The intent of the increase rates is to keep revenues in line with inflation in property values and construction costs.

DCL Rate Adjustments

• $0.60 per SF increase for higher density residential (>1.2 FSR) and commercial developments;
• $0.20 per SF increase for industrial development; and,
• $0.14 per SF increase for lower density residential (≤1.2 FSR) development.
• For residential and commercial development over 1.20 FSR, the DCL rate equates to $13.91 per SF

DCL Target Rate Adjustments

The changes come into effect September 30th, 2016.

A development application has been submitted for an industrial-zoned property in the Strathcona area of East Vancouver. The plan for the 11,616 SF, I-2 zoned site at 1157 Parker Street is to develop a new four-storey, mixed-use building, consisting of:

• Manufacturing uses on the first, second, and third floors (23,198 SF)
• General Office uses on the third and fourth floors (11,650 SF)
• Total building area of 34,848 SF
• total density of 3.00 FSR
• two levels of underground parking

Under the site’s existing I-2 zoning, the application is “conditional” so it may be permitted; however, it requires the decision of the Director of Planning. The architect for the project is Yamamoto Architecture.

The site was listed and sold by Matt Smith and Steve Fame of Colliers.

Aragon Properties is heading back to City of Port Moody council with a revised rezoning application for their site at 2713-2725 Clarke Street.

Aragon had submitted a rezoning application back in April 2016 for a 6-storey condo building per the guidelines in the OCP; however, several residents in Aragon’s previous project “The Station” spoke in opposition of the rezoning due to view loss. City council voted in favour of the residents and against the previously approved OCP by defeating the application at third reading. (all but the Mayor and one councilor voted in favour).

The application being brought back is still a 6-storey building with only a minor 2.5 ft. reduction in height.

If Council approves the required bylaw amendments, the project will go back to public hearing on October 11, 2016.