A rezoning application has been for the Langara Family YMCA property at West 49th Avenue and Alberta Street. The site sits just West of Langara College, and North of Langara Golf Course. 

The redevelopment of the 87,103 SF site at 282 West 49th Avenue entails rezoning an existing CD zone, to allow complete redevelopment of the existing YMCA facility to double the scale of the facility. The redevelopment concept has been consulting with the community and facility users for over a year.

The proposal consists of:

• a 5-storey YMCA replacement facility, including childcare, recreation (fitness, gym, and aquatic facilities), community spaces, and a cafe;
• a 13-storey non-market residential building containing 70 units;
  • 11-studios, 24 one-bedrooms, 26 two-bedrooms & 9 three-bedrooms;
• a 20-storey market residential building containing 158 condo units;
  • 41 one-bedrooms, 85 two-bedrooms & 32 three-bedrooms;
• a total density of 3.53 FSR;
• Total buildings heights of 198 ft. for the condo tower, and 145 ft. for the non-market tower.
• underground parking with 339 vehicle parking spaces and 545 bicycle parking spaces.

This rezoning application is being considered under the Cambie Corridor Plan.

The YMCA of Greater Vancouver anticipates that construction would start in 2021 and be completed in 2023.

The architect for the project is Stantec.

The full rezoning application can be viewed here: https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/282w49thave/index.htm

A rezoning application has been submitted by Prima Properties for 1157 Burrard Street, a former gas station site at the Northwest corner of Burrard and Davie Streets that has been used as a community garden for several years.

The 21,605 SF site was designated for rezoning in 2014 under the West End Community Plan. It is currently zoned DD (Downtown District) and C-5 (Commercial).

The plan for the site is a 47-storey mixed-use tower that includes:

•  236 condo units;
• 50 hotel units or 50 more residential units; 
  • 65 studios, 111 one bedrooms & 110 two-bedrooms;
• building height of 480 ft.;
• a total density of 13.99 FSR;
• 25,000 SF of commercial space, including;
  • 17,000 SF of office space;
• a 37-space public childcare facility
• 265 vehicle parking stalls and 400 bicycle spaces.

The application describes the design rationale: “The project proposes a new benchmark for site and city-specific architectural creativity and excellence through several distinctive measures. The west façade is proposed as a dynamic ever-changing mosaic responding to solar movement. In the morning when no direct sun falls on the elevation, the façade forms a sleek glass envelope animated by balconies. As the sun comes around to the south and west, exterior vertical solar control blinds start to animate the façade, with the sun exposure lowering them sequentially. As the sun rotates further to the west, the
blinds gradually form a veil, a pixilated abstraction of the Westcoast landscape ground to sea to sky. As afternoon turns to evening, the blinds retract once again to reveal the glowing glass envelope by night, as lights illuminate from the inside. The blinds have both an aesthetic and a sustainable design role, reducing solar heat gain and glare from low angle west sun. The concept is inspired by the Electra, the former BC Hydro building on Burrard Street. Electra makes explicit reference to the Westcoast landscape in its design and ornamentation, a major innovation at the time the tower was built.

In addition to the dynamic nature of the west façade–visible from both Burrard Street and Davie Village– the building is shaped like a flatiron as you approach the Downtown along Burrard Street. Consequently, the building is exceptionally slender compared to other towers. The balconies along the leading edge further animate this impression, by faceting towards the west as the tower rises. This shape forms an invitation towards Davie Village
and the West End as the tower addresses ceremonial Burrard Street. At grade, the corner plaza provides a public destination, welcoming visitors to Davie Village. The building canopy gathers rainwater and directs it to a small symbolic wetland at the corner, providing a pleasant place to gather and evoking the Westcoast landscape concept of the building. The project elevators offer outlook to Burrard Street in the podium and at the rooftop, providing spectacular views out for building users. At the rooftop a viewing platform forms part of the Residential Amenity with vistas to the fireworks of English Bay.”

This application is being considered under the West End Community Plan and the Rezoning Policy for the West End.

The architect for the project is Merrick Architecture.

The full application can be viewed here: https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/1157burrard/index.htm

Kenstone Properties has submitted their development application to the City of Vancouver for permission to develop a 28,227 SF C-2 zoned site at 6020-6040 East Boulevard in Kerrisdale. 

Kenstone acquired the properties in 2017 for $26,000,000. The properties are currently improved with two older walkup apartment buildings.

The plan for the site is for a new 4-storey building that includes:

• 47 condo units;
  • 12 one-bedrooms, 18 two-bedrooms, 16 three-bedrooms & 1 four-bedroom;
  • 9 units accessed from the laneway frontage;
• 8,831 SF of retail space in 9 CRU units;
• a total density of 2.50 FSR;
• a building height of approximately 45.3 ft; and
• 123 parking stalls on two levels of underground parking providing vehicular access from the lane.

Under the site’s existing C-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 McFarlane Biggar Architects & Designers.

I am pleased to announce the sale of 1650 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver. This prominent corner lot totals 17,905 SF in size and is improved with an existing retail strip centre. 

The City of Coquitlam Council will receive a report next week for information and feedback regarding residential density and land use transition approach for the City Centre Area Plan (CCAP) Update. The planning update got underway last year, and it is anticipated that a draft plan will be presented to Council in Summer 2019.

The original CCAP was developed in 2008, and updated with a Transit Oriented Development Strategy in 2012. This update was initiated to capitalize on the Evergreen Line, with an intent to prioritize high density development around the new station areas. The City Centre update projects 24,000 new residents by 2046.

The focus for proposed new residential density will be broadly defined in two separate areas:

Core Area 

The majority of land use changes to the existing 2008 CCAP are proposed around
the Coquitlam Centre and Lincoln Skytrain stations. Currently, the maximum permitted density for all residential and commercial uses under the City Centre Commercial land use designation (C-4 zone) is 6.5 FAR inclusive of density available for affordable housing, with a 0.5 FAR commercial floor space requirement. It is proposed that a maximum FAR of 6.5, inclusive of density available for affordable housing, and a 1.0 commercial FAR requirement be applied in the Commercial Downtown Core until a comprehensive review of the City’s density bonus program is completed. 

The City separately reviewed commercial densities in a discussion paper released last month in which an increase in minimum commercial densities in the City Centre was recommended.

For areas designated as City Centre Commercial outside of the Commercial Downtown Core, the existing 6.5 FAR maximum, inclusive of density available for affordable housing, and 0.5 FAR commercial floor would be maintained.

Shoulder Area

Outside of the Commercial Downtown Core and City Centre Commercial designation, a combination of high and medium density residential rounds out the residential density and land use transition.

High density residential allows up to a 5.5 FAR, inclusive of density available for
affordable housing, under the RM-6 zone without any height limit and the medium density land use allows up to a 2.64 FAR, inclusive of density available for affordable housing, under the RM-3 zone with a height limit up to 8-storeys.

To provide a transition to the adjacent lower density neighbourhoods, site
specific height limits are proposed for high density (20-25 storey) and medium
density (4-6 storey) residential areas. Although proposed residential land use changes are primarily within the CCAP Focus Area, staff recommends a land use change for the area east of Inlet Street and south of Tahsis Avenue from low density apartment residential and townhousing to medium density with a 4-6 storey height limit.

A medium density land use form with a 4-6 storey height limit in this area will serve as a transitional land use between the Commercial Downtown Core and peripheral areas in City Centre and blend into adjacent established, lower density neighbourhoods.

A draft plan will be developed with a final round of public consultation and council consideration later this year.

Further detail on the City Center Area Plan update can be viewed on the City of Coquitlam’s website, here: https://www.coquitlam.ca/planning-and-development/resources/special-plans-projects/city-centre-area-plan-update