A development application has been submitted to the City of Vancouver for an overhaul of the exterior of 333 Seymour Street, a 17-storey office building at Seymour and Cordova.

The building has been undergoing upgrades to it’s ground floor, lobby and podium since last year.

The proposal for the new exterior includes:

• a cladding upgrade on the tower portion of the building (levels 3-17) to improve envelope performance;
• a new 3,230 SF rooftop amenity space for building tenants; including kitchenette, lounge and outdoor terrace;
• new exterior lighting and signage.

Renderings also indicate that building signage will be included for Salesforce, a tenant in the building.

The application describes the new facade design: “The existing facade consists of a curtain wall system with an approximate 50/50 modulation between spandrel and vision glass. This results in a distinct, strong horizontal banding expressed in the tower massing. As part of the envelope upgrade, the project proposes to update the appearance of the tower, emphasizing a more vertical expression.

The application also describes the new rooftop space: “The north-facing side of the existing roof is proposed to be converted to an amenity space for building tenants. The siting of the terrace takes advantage of the views towards the waterfront and the north shore mountains.

Some of the program is to be allocated to a partial interior/exterior rooftop terrace, to include:

• a refreshed elevator vestibule
• new toilet rooms
• enclosed kitchenette/lounge with
  operable glass walls
• outdoor terrace”

The roof dome will also be refinished to match the new dark grey cladding used at columns and the roof top perimeter “frame”.

The architect for the project is Perkins and Will Canada Architects Co.

A development application has been submitted for a standard 33′ x 122′ lot on East 17th Avenue just East of Main Street. The site at 222 East 17th Ave is one of only a handful along the Main Street corridor with C-2 zoning despite being located off of Main Street and across an alley on a side street.

The lot is currently improved with an older single family dwelling.

Details for the redevelopment of the lot include:

• a new 4-storey mixed-use building;
• general office use on the main floor floor);
• 5 residential units on floors 2-4;
• a density of 2.50 FSR;
• a proposed height of 45.28 ft.;
• a total of 5 parking spaces having vehicular access from lane.

The application describes the design rationale and some of the challenges with the lot size: “For levels 2 and 3, the two dwelling units are separated by the circulation area (e.g. elevator, corridor, stairwell) that eats up most of the mid-section of the floor plan. This leaves us with a narrow strip of space that is particularly difficult to design without sacrificing over-all function and livability of each unit. By extending the maximum allowed limit of 50% Site depth (Section 4.5 of C2 Guidelines) to 60% we can better manage the use of space and make a more suitable design that is both livable and efficient. We are asking for a relaxation on the L2-L4 East side yard depth from 50% max. allowed to 60%.”

The architect for the project is Matthew Cheng Architect Inc.

The full application can be viewed here: https://development.vancouver.ca/pc222e17/index.htm

A rezoning application has been submitted by Mosaic Homes for a new development at 3015-3093 Murray Street in the Moody Centre area of Port Moody. The site is located on lands with the relatively new “Mixed Employment” OCP land use designation.

The 100,000 SF site currently vacant and being used for construction storage. This area has traditionally been an industrial area in transition. The site is in close proximity to the Moody Centre SkyTrain and West Coast Express station, though access is currently only possible via two circuitous routes, the pedestrian overpass accessed off Klahanie Drive or the Murray Street overpass, both of which are approximately one kilometre. If and when on overpass is constructed over the CPR line from the station area, the site will be between 200-300 metres from the station.

Mosaic is proposing to rezone the site from Light Industrial (M1) to allow three 6-storey mixed-use buildings located on a two-storey parkade that acts as a podium to the south abutting the CPR rail line and is wrapped with commercial retail units on the Murray Street and Electronic Avenue

Details include:

• 204 condo units;
• 102 one-bedrooms & 102 two-bedrooms;
• 17,900 SF of ground floor retail;
• a total density of 2.02 FAR;
• 301 parking spaces;
• 43,000 SF of outdoor amenity space on the parkade podium.

The application may require an OCP amendment as the intent of the Mixed-Employment designation was to include light industrial uses or second floor office space.

The architect for the project is Michael Green Architecture.

Mosaic acquired the site in 2017 for $18,300,000 or $88 per buildable SF based on the application.