Somewhat hidden behind the news of the Housing Vancouver Strategy announcement, is a new policy proposal for CACs for commercial and rental-only residential developments. The overall plan proposed in the policy report entitled “CAC Policy Update: Simplifying CACs on New Rental Housing and Commercial Development” is to cease negotiating CACs on commercial rezonings and some rental rezonings.

The City’s proposal is intended to “simplify the City’s development contribution system which includes DCLs, CACs, density bonusing and other mechanisms. The proposed changes will provide greater clarity and certainty on development contributions for rezoning applicants. The recommended changes will streamline the CAC process for both secured market rental and commercial-only rezoning applications to enable a majority of these project types to be brought to market sooner.”

The recommendations in the proposed policy include the following:

Recommendation A – Exempt routine, lower density secured market rental rezoning applications from CACs

The City would exempt rental applications from CAC negotiations where the density proposed is low, or consistent with area zoning. The table below shows where CACs would be exempt for rental based on height guidelines:

Recommendation B – Remove CAC negotiation on commercial-only rezoning 

The City intends on removing the CAC negotiation process (which can prolong the application timeline significantly) for commercial applications in the Downtown, Metro Core, Grandview Employment Area and South Vancouver Industrial Lands. This would not apply for proposed stratified commercial space.

The City will also introduce commercial linkage targets, which are intended to show the correlation between additional commercial space and workforce related childcare spaces and affordable housing. The commecial linkage targets will be fixed $/SF amounts calculated on the net additional density for commercial rezonings in the Downtown and Metro Core areas. 

The interim Commercial Linkage Targets will be as follows:As industry consultation has already occurred for these items, they could take effect almost immediately after Council adoption.

A full copy of the policy report can be viewed here: http://council.vancouver.ca/20171128/documents/a4.pdf

M28 Holdings Ltd. has submitted a development application for a 75′ x 112′ site at the Southeast corner of 28th and Main for a new rental apartment building. The C-2 zoned site is currently occupied by single storey retail including Le Gent Antiques on the corner.

The new development will be 4-storeys and will include:

• retail and restaurant uses on the ground floor;
• 21 rental market rental units;
• a total density of 2.5 FSR;
• a building height of 45 feet;
• two levels of underground parking accessed 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 site sold in December 2016 for $6,980,000, or $341 per buildable SF based on the application.

1985 West Broadway has sold to The Property Management Group for $39,000,000. The 5-storey ‘A’ Class building, known to most as the Wawanesa Building at Broadway and Maple, was built in 1985 and totals 50,981 SF. The sale price equates to $765 per SF, or a 3.30% cap rate. Wawanesa was the seller in the transaction.

The property had been listed for sale by Avison Young. Below is a marketing video depicting the property:

The C-3A zoned property is located on a 17,280 SF site just a block East of what is anticipated to be a future transit station at Arbutus.

Port Living has submitted a rezoning application for a site at 2202 Main Street, on the Southeast corner of 6th and Main in Mount Pleasant. 

The 17,445 SF site, currently occupied by Blue Star Motors and a 2-storey commercial building, is currently zoned IC-2 but has rezoning potential as part of the Mount Pleasant Community Plan.

The proposal, entitled “Main Street Arts”, is to permit the development of a 6-storey mixed use building that includes:

• • 65 condo units;
  • 19 studios, 19 one-bedrooms, 17 two-bedrooms and 10 three-bedrooms;
  • 9,614 SF of at-grade retail plus 6,617 SF of below ground retail;
  • A total density of 3.86 FSR;
  • A building height of 74.5 ft;
  • 99 parking spaces (including 1 car share space); and
  • 2 Class B loading spaces.

The architect for the project is Studio B Architects. 

Concord Pacific‘s preliminary rezoning application will go to City of Burnaby council next week for the master plan of the 8.9 acre Sears Metrotown site at 4750 Kingsway. Concord acquired the site from Sears Canada in 2015 for $100,000,000.  The site is currently home to a soon to be closed Sears store, a Toys-R-Us store and a presentation centre.

Initial planning work got underway in 2013 when Sears selected Concord Pacific as the developer, but had been partly delayed pending the City of Burnaby’s revision of the Metrotown Downtown Plan, completed earlier this year.

The purpose of the current rezoning application is to establish a Conceptual Master Plan, Design Guidelines and a detailed first phase of development, which would provide for specific development rights for the initial phase; and guide further applications for the development of the site which will include substantial commercial and residential components. The site is designated for high density development utilizing the RM-5s and C3 guidelines.

The overall vision for the site is described as: ” a pedestrian-oriented, transit-connected
community that reflects the strong urban design principles and an urban form unique in the City. The Sears Metrotown site is envisioned to be fully integrated with the surrounding Metro Downtown neighbourhood and the broader Town Centre through the creation of new vehicle, pedestrian and cycling connections to existing streets to the north including McMurray and McKercher Avenues, as well facilitating new future connections to the south and west through the Metropolis at Metrotown site and Station Square.”

Preliminary details for the overall master plan include:

• Seven towers
• Four development phases
• 1,945,855 SF of residential space
• 660,734 SF of commercial space
• a total density of 9.75 FSR

Phase 1 details include:

• 1,309 units in Phase 1
• 3 towers ranging from 33 to 65-storeys
• 1,485 parking spaces on 7 levels of underground parking 
• a 48,000 SF indoor amenity space
• towers designed with a ceramic frit super graphic design element
• addition of a new East-West road “Metro Way”

The application describes the first phase: “Phase I is the initial phase of development, located along the Kingsway frontage between McMurray Avenue. The Phase I site measures approximately 132,364 sq.ft., with a frontage on Kingsway of 1,053 ft. Phase
I consists of three residential high-rise apartment buildings.  All three residential buildings are located atop a 3 storey commercial and amenity podium.

The signature tower at the corner of Kingsway and Nelson Avenue does not have commercial uses on the Nelson Avenue frontage, but maintains the high volume in amulti-storey atrium lobby fronting on to the Lake Plaza. Tower 2’s lobby fronts onto Kingsway, in between commercial storefronts, while Tower 3’s lobby is oriented toward McMurray Avenue fronting on to the River Plaza.”

The architect for the project is IBI Group.