Coromandel Properties has submitted a development application for a prominent former Esso gas station site, now vacant, at the Northeast corner of 41st and Cambie. 

The site falls within the City of Vancouver’s recently released vision for the Cambie Corridor Oakridge Municipal Centre, which would allow a rezoning for a mixed-use/residential tower potentially as high as 20-storeys for the site. 

The development permit application now submitted for the 130′ x 122′ site indicates plan for a new 3-storey, mixed-use building, consisting of:

• Retail & restaurant uses on the ground floor;
• Office uses on the 2nd and 3rd floor;
• A total building size of 26,686 SF;
• A total density of 1.7 FSR;
• Peak Height: 59 ft.; and
• 48 underground parking spaces on 1 1/2 levels all having vehicular access from the lane.

It’s unclear if this potential development plan is simply an effort to secure a permit now under the existing zoning, or if the potential for a tower rezoning is still in the long term plan. Under the site’s existing C-2 zoning which allows 2.5 FSR, the application is “conditional” so it may be permitted; however, it requires the decision of the Director of Planning.

Coromandel acquired the site in October 2014 for $15,800,000, or $398 per buildable SF based on the existing C-2 zoning of the site, or $592 per buildable SF based on the proposed plan.

The architect for the project is McFarlane Biggar Architects and Designers .

Porte Communities and Reliance Properties have applied to rezone a 48,072 SF site in the False Creek Flats area for a new office building.

The plan for the site at 339 East 1st Avenue, adjacent the Red Truck Brewery, is to rezone from the current I-3 zoning to allow development of a 6-storey office building. The proposal includes:

• general office space on floors 2-6;
• ground floor retail;
• a total floor area of 144,216 SF;
• a total density of 3.0 FSR;
• a building height of 100 ft; and
• two levels of underground parking accessed from E 1st Avenue, with 275 vehicle parking spaces, 46 bicycle parking stalls and six loading spaces.

The I3 zoning schedule permits the density and built form being proposed, but restricts uses, so the rezoning is required to allow general office use.

The rezoning application describes the design rationale: “On the roof tops are amenity spaces to provide the building occupants with an easily accessible green space. This is in addition to the landscaped areas fronting Brewery Creek. The building facade colour is meant to invoke both typical rail engine colour schemes as well as colours of autumn. Distributions in glazing on the facade are meant to create a horizontal movement along the building exterior as well as solar heat gain control due to its 50:50 ratio. On the South and West elevations of the building, there are also diagonal solar shading devices which serve not only for sun control but as distinctive design elements.”

The architect for the project is IBI Group.

The full rezoning application can be viewed here:  http://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/339e1st/index.htm 

Atti Group has applied to the District of West Vancouver for a development permit for a 15,636 SF site at 1327 Marine Drive. The site is located on the North side of Marine Drive, just West of 13th Street in between the Shell Gas Station site and an older lowrise commercial building to the West.

The proposal is for a new 3-storey mixed use development that includes:

• 16 residential units;
• 5 one-bedrooms and 11 two-bedrooms;
• Unit sizes of 600 – 1,400 SF;
• 5,167 SF of ground-floor retail;
• 38 underground parking spaces (13 for commercial, 25 for residential) on 3 levels;
• a total density of 1.59 FSR
• a total amenity unit payment of $273,000 

The proposal is generally consistent with the Ambleside Village Centre Development Permit Guidelines and OCP.

The architect for the project is Karl Gustavson.