City of North 麻豆传媒映画council voted on January 22 to allow for 179 condo units at 150 East Eighth Street.
Despite neighbourhood outcry over a shortage of parking and an excess of density, four out of seven councillors favoured construction of two six-storey buildings as well as 17 ground-floor townhomes.
Besides being 鈥�13 townhouses wide,鈥� one six-storey building becomes seven storeys where the sloping site reaches its lowest point, noted neighbour Linda Hayes.
The site resembles a right-angle triangle with the longer sides running along East 11th and Eighth streets and the point jutting towards Lonsdale Avenue.
The project鈥檚 mass and height will leave neighbours 鈥渄warfed鈥� while failing to provide housing the city needs, Hayes argued.
鈥淭his is a market condo building, not affordable housing,鈥� she said.
While there鈥檚 a theory that greater density will breed affordability, the North Shore鈥檚 increase in density hasn鈥檛 provided 鈥渁ny marked improvement in affordability,鈥� Councillor Don Bell noted.
鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing a changing demographic on the North Shore that is worrying to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing people being driven away because of economics,鈥� he said.
Mayor Darrell Mussatto conceded that developer Crest Adera will sell the units for 鈥渁s much as they can,鈥� but he countered that the project is still more affordable than buying a single-family home.
The project is near the 229 and 230 bus routes, close to shops, and a quick hop from the Green Necklace cycling route.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to put density somewhere, this is the place you鈥檙e going to put it,鈥� Mussatto said.
The city鈥檚 guidelines allow a maximum of six storeys on the site 鈥� measured from the highest point of the lot. Those parameters limit floor space ratio 鈥� which measures the project鈥檚 total floor area against its lot size 鈥� to 2.6, which includes a 1.0 FSR bonus.
The developer is slated to pay $8.1 million for that extra density, of which $1.6 million is earmarked for the city鈥檚 affordable reserve fund and $6.5 million for the civic amenity reserve fund.
That money 鈥渃an go right to Harry Jerome,鈥� Mussatto said, noting the high cost of the forthcoming recreation centre.
The financial arrangement didn鈥檛 persuade Councillor Rod Clark to support the development.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want cash in lieu,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 want the affordable housing units.鈥�
The project鈥檚 preliminary application included 12 units at below-market rates. That component was scrapped.
Clark suggested the development was 鈥渟hoehorning density in an area that鈥檚 already pretty dense.鈥�
The project includes 235 parking spots, including 30 spaces for Telus employees who will work in the building on the eastern side of the site.
The extra density will exacerbate a parking scarcity that has sent many customers into the large parking lots around Park Royal in West Vancouver, said Councillor Pam Bookham.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been hearing a lot from our business owners about the challenges of providing adequate street parking for their customers,鈥� she said, mentioning the challenges faced by customers at the Club 16 fitness centre on Lonsdale.
If North 麻豆传媒映画wants to support a small business community, as opposed to a mall, 鈥渨e need more people,鈥� Councillor Linda Buchanan argued.
Buchanan also took issue with her council colleagues calling for affordable rental.
鈥淚t is pretty rich for some councillors to say we need more purpose rental building when they in fact (voted against) a purpose rental building two blocks up the street.鈥�
The market development is essential for North Vancouverites who want to own rather than rent, she said.
鈥淭hese young people in our community need to have hope that they can actually afford to buy something in our community.鈥�
Councillor Holly Back praised the developer for providing ample parking and an off-leash dog park.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 see how this six-storey building is going to overshadow anything,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he Telus building has been pretty ugly there for the last 50 years so thank you for beautifying the area.鈥�
While housing prices have risen amid an 鈥渦nprecedented building boom,鈥� Coun. Craig Keating reminded the packed chamber about the delicate nature of council鈥檚 responsibilities.
鈥淚 would not sit here in front of council and say, 鈥業鈥檓 the councillor who鈥檚 going to help everybody鈥檚 housing prices go down,鈥� because if you own the house you don鈥檛 like that idea,鈥� he said, adding that it鈥檚 a different matter for residents hoping to buy homes.
The project should, 鈥渉elp us replace the single-family home,鈥� he said.
Council鈥檚 decision was supported by Philip Tarrant, who described himself as a millennial in support of density.
鈥淒ensity is the only way my generation can afford to live and buy homes on the North Shore,鈥� he said. 鈥淎dera will take an under-utilized property in a great location and turn it into 179 new homes.鈥�
The units range between 600 and 1,900 square feet.
Crest Adera is also on the hook for $635,000 worth of in-kind contributions, including a dog park facilitated by moving the cul-de-sac eastward, public art, and the relocation of the grizzly bear sculpture on Lonsdale Avenue and Eighth Street.
