A rezoning application has been submitted by Killarney Enterprises for a three lot land assembly at the Northwest corner of West 49th Avenue and Alberta Street, near Langara College. The site at 319-359 West 49th Avenue totals 21,662 SF.

The proposal consists of a 4-storey mixed-use building that includes:

• 51 condo units;
  • 10 studios, 25 one-bedrooms, 11 two-bedrooms & 5 three-bedrooms;
• 8,174 SF of retail space;
• a total density of 2.24 FSR;
• an amenity roof deck;
• a building height of 45 ft.; and
• two levels of underground parking with 56 vehicle parking spaces, and 72 bicycle spaces.

The application describes the design rationale: “The building massing are compose of blocks stacked vertically, which are differentiates by step setbacks. First block is the ground level, clad by light coloured bricks and commercial storefront. The same brick is use on the side along Alberta Street and wraps around through the residential units at grade along Lane. Residential entry lobby is highlighted with wood grain finish cladding to distinguish from the commercial frontage. Second and Third floor level comprises the mid block. This block is accentuated with square forms that separate unit balconies for privacy. Larger windows were provided on the south and east side of the mid block and smaller residential windows on the north side. Top most level is futher setback to provide a hidden storey to scale down the building mass. Amenity deck is located away from the roof edge, so it will not be visible at road level. Roof deck outdoor amenity creates a more private open space for the unit owners.”

The application is being considered under the Cambie Corridor Plan.

The architect for the project is Matthew Cheng Architects.

A rezoning application has been submitted for a 30,000 SF land assembly at the Southwest corner of West King Edward Avenue and Ash Street in the Cambie Corridor area. The site at 620-644 West King Edward Avenue & 4111 Ash Street is currently zoned RS-1.

The site was assembled by Western Construction in 2016 for $19,230,000, or $351 per buildable SF based on the application.

The proposal consists of two 4-storey residential buildings and one three-storey townhouse building and includes:

• 59 condo units;
  • 36 one-bedrooms, 14 two-bedrooms and 9 three-bedroom units;
• a total density of 1.74 FSR;
• a building height of 49 ft.; and
• 77 underground parking spaces and 74 bicycle spaces.

This rezoning application is being considered under the Cambie Corridor Plan.

The architect for the project is WT Leung Architects.

A rezoning application has been submitted by Aragon for a two-lot assembly at 582-588 West King Edward Avenue, just West of Cambie at the Northeast corner of Ash Street. 

The proposal consists of one four-storey residential building and one two-and-a-half-storey townhouse building and includes:

• 36 condo units;
  • 11 studios, 11 one-bedrooms, 10 two-bedrooms & 4 three-bedrooms;
• a total density of 1.95 FSR;
• a maximum building height of 61 ft.; and
• 39 underground parking spaces and 51 bicycle spaces.

This rezoning application is being considered under the Cambie Corridor Plan.

The architect for the project is RWA Architecture.

We are pleased to introduce this 26,561 SF land assembly located just half a block East of Oakridge Centre. The site has been designated in the Cambie Corridor Plan to allow an 18-storey residential tower, with a 4-storey podium, retail at grade and a requirement for 30% of the gross residential floor area to be delivered as social housing.

Please contact us for further details.

Next week, City of Vancouver Council will consider a report from the Engineering and Planning Departments seeking to approve a new City-wide utilities development cost levy (DCL) and a long term capital projects program for upgrades. The report also confirms the Utilities Servicing Plan for the Cambie Corridor Phase 3 area and the CAC target rates for the Cambie Corridor and Marpole areas.

Here is a summary of these new recommendations.

New Utilities DCL

The need for infrastructure upgrades was highlighted during the latter stages of the Cambie Phase 3 planning in which significant new density was introduced in the Oakridge Transit Centre area in plans laid out in 2017. A reassessment of the future demand on sewer, drainage and water service capacity has led to this city-wide strategy. The City is now looking at increasing DCL rates to help finance the servicing requirements across multiple developments rather than piggybacking off of the initial developments in certain areas.

The recommended new DCL framework for financing water, sewer and drainage utilities
upgrades includes a long-term capital program of approximately $1 Billion and the introduction of a dedicated City-wide Utilities DCL to cover approximately $547 Million of that cost (benefit to new development) through DCL’s by 2026.

Currently, utilities are embedded in the overall City-wide DCL rates, but the utilities component will now be separated in order to “improve transparency and certainty for developers.” 

The report highlights the utilities portion of current DCL and the proposed Utilities DCL to demonstrate the increased rates:

Interestingly, a background study by Coriolis Consulting noted the following (from report):

• New residential development downtown and on the west side of the city could
  accommodate the proposed rate increases.
• New residential development on the east side of the city has less ability to absorb
  the new DCL costs without impacting economic feasibility.
• For new non-residential development, Coriolis found in last year’s DCL report to the City that an increased DCL rate would have a negative impact on sites that are currently viable for redevelopment. For new industrial development, it would be challenging for most projects to support any increase in DCL rates given the
  inherent challenging economics. Similarly, it would also be challenging for most new office development to support an increased DCL rate.
• In all cases where there is a DCL rate increase, it is preferable to phase-in the rate increase so new development can adjust to the increased costs.

The report also recommends that the Utilities DCL be waived for market rental housing (Most rental rezonings are eligible for DCL waiver) on an interim basis until 2020 with a review by staff coming next year.

The new DCL rates will come into effect on September 30, 2018 (rates are protected for in-stream applications for one year from the effective date).

Utilities Servicing Plan for Cambie Corridor & CAC Rates

The City approved the Cambie Corridor Phase 3 Plan at council in May, though the land use plan has remained subject to a pending Utilities Servicing Plan, which intends to lay out the development sequence of sites based upon utilities upgrades.

Highlights of the plan include:

• City-initiated rezoning (“prezoning”) of townhouse areas in Stage 1 in the
  short-term (anticipated for referral and public hearing in summer/fall of 2018)
• Requirement for basic onsite rainwater and groundwater management

Here is a guideline for development in the Cambie Phase 3 area:

Lastly, here are the proposed new CAC target rates for the Cambie Corridor and Marpole Areas:

Cambie Corridor

Marpole

The full report can be viewed here: https://council.vancouver.ca/20180711/documents/cfsc1.pdf