An OCP Amendment and Rezoning Application has been submitted by Porte Communities for a site located at 1865-1895 Charles Street, on the Western part of Port Moody.
Due to the slope of the site, the rear building is technically 8-storeys and would require an OCP Amendment. The lots will be rezoned from RS-1 single family to RM-8.
The 18,000 SF site is located at 148-154 James Road, just East of Moody Middle School. The 2019 proposal was for a 6-storey rental and condo building with 64 conventionally sized units and a density of 3.14 FAR.
The modified application would keep the 6-storey building form, but would include the following:
114 units (92 strata, 22 rental);
66 studios, 43 one-bedroom units & 5 two-bedroom units;
Average units sizes of 359 SF for studios, 472 SF for one-bedrooms;
a reduced total density of 3.0 FAR;
68 parking stalls.
In a unique model, the project would contain “a total of 22 rental units (for a period of ten years) and 92 strata units. Of these units, 11 rental units and 11 strata units would be reserved for lower income earners who earn less than $51,000 per year.
The 11 strata units would have a restriction on resale for two years. There would be no restrictions placed on the remaining 11 rental units. Although a total of 11 rental and 11 strata units would be reserved for persons earning less than $51,000 per year, it is unknown at this time whether the rental rates or purchase prices would be reduced to an amount that would be considered as below-market or affordable housing. As a reference, the BC Housing 2019 Housing Income Limits (HILs) rates would suggest a monthly rent of $1,288 for a one-bedroom or studio unit, but likely does not take into consideration the smaller micro dwelling style units, as proposed with this project.“
In addition, a pre-release of the units would be available for and marketed specifically to:
persons earning less than $51,000;
persons aged 65 years and older;
persons with mobility challenges;
families where two generations are seeking to reside in separate units in the same building; and
persons who qualify for BC Housing’s Shelter Aid For Elderly Renters (SAFER) program.
92 underground parking stalls and 193 bike spaces.
The application describes the design rationale: “The C-2 guidelines have informed building stepbacks along Kingsway and rear-yard setbacks towards the lane. The intersection of Kingsway and Prince Albert Street is oblique, creating a flat iron condition. At this prominent corner, we are proposing a six story element that folds away from the Kingsway frontage, providing a visual landmark as well as space for a landscaped, publicly accessible plaza. The grade of the site slopes steeply down from Kingsway south along Prince Albert Street. This grade change allows us to insert two-level townhouses fronting the lane without raising the building height relative to Kingsway. The five, three-bedroom, two-level townhouses along the lane provide valuable ground-oriented rental units suitable for families. These townhouses help to create a transition to the single-family homes to the south while providing animation and passive surveillance along the lane.“
