A development application has been filed for a site at 928 Commercial Drive, mid-block just South of Venables Street. The plan for the 33 x 121 ft site is to build a new infill building including:

• a 5-storey, mixed use building
• retail on first floor and residential above (2nd to 5th floors)
• 12 rental aparment units
• 3 parking spaces having vehicular access from the lane.

Under the site’s existing C-2C1 zoning, the application is “conditional” so it may be permitted; however, it requires the decision of the Director of Planning.

The architect, Matthew Cheng, explains the design rationale:

Here is a brief update on a project in the West End that was originally envisioned prior to the West End Community Plan having been adopted in 2014.

The project is a partnership between Bosa Properties and Central Presbyterian Church, which used to worship on this property for many years. The property was rezoned in 2014 to allow a new 22-storey building that includes 168 units of market rental apartments and 45 units of non-market rental apartments, as well as retail space, a new church and a preschool.

Excavation was recently completed and a crane is scheduled for installation on June 25th. Completion of the project is scheduled for April 2018.

photo courtesy mcminsen http://po.st/ZegImX via @imageshack

A rezoning application has been made for a 29,102 SF site at 3868 Rupert Street (at East 22nd St) for rezoning to allow rental apartments. The site is currently improved with a grocery store – Chong Lee Market and some retail units along with surface parking.

The proposal calls for rezoning from C-1 to CD-1 to permit the development of 6-storey mixed-use building that includes:

• 112 secured market rental units;
• 78 one-bedrooms, 30 two-bedrooms and 4 three-bedrooms
• 10,856 SF retail uses in six CRUs on the ground floor
• a total density 3.60 FSR
• a building height of six storeys ; and
• 158 underground parking spaces.

The application is being considered under the Affordable Housing Choices Interim Rezoning Policy.

The architect, GBL, describes the application:

“This project will take into account these neighbourhood factors by providing appropriate up to date commercial premises for the existing tenants and providing good quality affordable rental accommodation for the locale. The Renfrew Collingwood area has great community facilities and a number of schools close by. With this in mind, over a quarter of the units will be 2 and 3 bedrooms for families.

Polygon has prepared a proposal including two options for a development at 119 – 131 West Esplanade in North Vancouver, also known as “Site 8”. The site also includes lands owned by City of North Vancouver. The overall rezoning application seeks an amendment to the City’s OCP to increase the allowable building height and to rezone the site to allow the construction of a mixed-use building consisting of a residential tower over a commercial podium. This would be supported by four levels of underground parking.

The site was previously owned by Millenium Properties who proposed a 35-storey tower back in 2007, which was subsequently withdrawn. The site later sold to Polygon.

Two development options are being presented for the City of North Vancouver’s consideration:

Option 1 – with Non-Market Office Space

• 11-storey tower with 107 residential units
• a building height of 122 ft.
• a total density of 3.78 FSR
• sale of City lands, transfer density and density bonus resulting is a cash contribution of $10.3 Million.
• 6,000 SF of office space owned by Polygon and rented at below market rates to non-profits

Option 2 – with Community Amenity Space

• 12-storey tower with 117 residential units
• a building height of 139 ft.
• a total density of 4.07 FSR
• sale of City lands, transfer density and density bonus resulting is a cash contribution of $8.7 Million.
• 16,155 SF of City-owned community space for a museum

In both scenarios, the site has to accommodate almost 100 parking spaces for off-site uses.

View from Esplanade

The architects for the project are DYS Architecture and Nigel Baldwin Architects.

The City of Vancouver has placed a 1.42 acre property up for sale at 601 Beach Crescent. The irregularly shaped site sits just East of the Granville Street bridge, and mirrors the Vancouver House site at 1400 Howe Street (though the site has a smaller site area).

City of Vancouver planning documents identify the currently vacant site for a similar height as the Vancouver House project, at 425 feet (though Vancouver House was subsequently approved at 497 feet).

The offer submission date is July 27th, 2016.