Westbank Corp. has now submitted their formal rezoning application for the site they own at 1668-1684 Alberni Street, at the corner of Bidwell Street. The site is currently home to two older midrise concrete condo buildings located just across Alberni from the former Chevron site, sold recently. The site also sits on the same block as a proposed 42-storey rental tower.

The current zoning for the 21,607 SF site is RM-5C thought the site is one of several that were redesignated under the West End Community Plan, this area known as the Denman Village. The proposal, designed by Bing Thom, is a 39-storey residential building including:

• a six-storey podium;
• 94 market residential units;
• 13 one-bedrooms, 25 two-bedrooms, 55 three-bedrooms & 1 four-bed;
• 5,500 SF floorplates;
• the top 18 floors will feature only two units per floor;
• a total density of 10.7 FSR;
• four levels of underground parking with 180 vehicle parking stalls and 120 bicycle parking spaces; and
• a building height of 385 ft.

The application describes Bing Thom’s design rationale:

Newgen Group has submitted a rezoning application for a one acre site at the intersection of Blue Mountain Street and Lougheed Highway in the Maillardville area of Coquitlam. The plan calls for what would become the first highrise in the area.

Details of the proposed project, titled ‘Mont Bleu’, include:

•  A 21-storey tower;
• 155 units (including 8 townhouses);
• 32 studios, 58 one-bedrooms, 48 two-bedrooms; 17 three-bedrooms;
• four (4) retail CRU units and office space on the second level of the podium; 
• a total density of 3.5 FAR; 
• 239 underground parking spaces are proposed.

The proposed development generally complies with the applicable provisions of the C-5 Community Commercial Zone and is consistent with the Neighbourhood Centre designation in the Maillardville Neighbourhood Plan (MNP).

The architect for the project is DA Architects & Planners.

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