City of North Vancouver council is forging ahead with an ambitious public process for the massive Harbourside waterfront redevelopment.

Council voted Monday night to begin processing the rezoning applications for residential towers over commercial space, pending the approval of a three-metre right of way along Fell Avenue to make room for the Spirit Trail connection, and to kick off the public process.

Developers Concert Properties and Knightsbridge Properties are looking to build 800 units of strata and rental housing on top of 370,000 square feet of commercial space just south of the Northshore Auto Mall over the next 10 years.

CMHC has just released their 2012 rental market report for Vancouver. Some highlights:

• „The average vacancy rate rose to 1.8 per cent in October 2012 from 1.4
  per cent in October 2011.
• „„The average rent increase for two-bedroom  apartments between October 2011 and October 2012 was 2.3 per cent. The general rate of inflation for this period was 0.7 per cent.
• Areas close to Vancouver City, such as Richmond, North Vancouver, and West Vancouver, reported similar low vacancy of around 1%. In contrast, Coquitlam, Port Moody, and Port Coquitlam, where home prices are relatively lower, recorded average vacancy rates of 3.2 per cent.
• A supply increase of 3,724 rental condominium apartment units helped to keep the rate of rent increase contained.
• The Vancouver rental market is forecast to remain stable next year with vacancy rates expected to remain below 2.0%.

CMHC 2012 Vacancy Rates

CMHC Average RentsSource: CMHC

Source: CMHC

Pinnacle International‘s 2nd phase of their Broadway IGA site development moves to public hearing tonight. The project, at 2001 West 10th Avenue is a rezoning from M-1 to CD-1. The proposal is for a 7-storey residential building and a 6-storey residential building, with a childcare facility at grade, all over shared underground parking. The application proposes a total of 125 units, a density of 2.5 FSR, a building height of 74.5 feet and 183 parking spaces.

The tallest building on the North Shore can now be built in the Seylynn neighbourhood of the District of North Vancouver, following a contentious council vote Monday (Dec. 10).

In a 4-3 vote, council approved the five-building development east of Mountain Highway and north of Fern Street, which includes three highrises measuring 24, 28, and 32 storeys.

In an equally close vote the week before, council passed an amendment to limit height to 28 storeys, but last Monday’s meeting restored the plan to its previous height limits, thus allowing the 32-storey tower.

Courtesy Globe & Mail.