The transit plebiscite is getting a lot of media coverage as the campaigns on both sides of the debate ramp-up. For those not familiar, a proposed 0.5% Metro Vancouver Congestion Tax is being proposed to fund the Mayor’s Council transportation plan, which includes a Broadway Rapid Transit Line, Surrey Rapid Transit Line, new Pattulo Bridge and new B-Line bus services. Mail-in ballots will be sent out beginning March 16, 2015 with voting until May 29, 2015. More information about the referendum and the transit plan is available here.

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An application has been filed for a 90 x 132 ft., C-2 zoned property at 540 Victoria Drive in the Grandview Woodlands area of East Vancouver. The proposed plan includes:

• a new 4-storey building
• 2 CRU’s on the main floor (one for a new Bosa Foods store)
• 27 rental apartment units on the 2nd to 4th floors
• A density of 2.38 FSR (1.75 residential)
• 1 level of underground parking

Cornerstone Architecture explains the rationale for the project:

“This development provides a mixed-use residential and commercial building that will stand as a legacy project for the Bosa Foods company, which has been a long term part of the community. The development is to provide a mixture of  1, 2 and 3 bedroom rental suites across the upper 3 storeys.”

A development application has been made for an RM-4 zoned site at the corner of Victoria Drive and Frances Street in the Grandview-Woodlands area. This site are was not identified for increased density in the any version of the Grandview Woodlands Community Plan. The project calls for the following:

• one three-storey and one four-storey multiple dwelling building containing a total of 15 apartment units
• a total density of 1.43 FSR or 17,006 SF (RM-4 allows 1.45 FSR)
• a total of 17 underground parking spaces

Further, the City is requesting that the site dedicate about 7’ of land along Victoria Drive for possible future reconfiguration of the street to provide dedicated bike lanes. It is noted that further assembly was not feasible.

More info can be found here: http://former.vancouver.ca/devapps/pc649victoria/index.htm