A 40-storey tower filled with bachelor and one-bedroom suites isn’t being welcomed with open arms by city council.
New Westminster city council has directed staff to continue working with the developer of the Plaza 88 development to try and resolve some of the city’s outstanding concerns and to report back to council before the project proceeds to the public consultation stage. A 40-storey mixed-use commercial and residential tower with 500 residential units is being proposed at 900 Carnarvon St.
City council has voiced a number of concerns about the current proposal, including the height of the building, the number of residential units, the breakdown of the rental units (235 studio suites and 265 one-bedroom units) and the provision of several levels of above-grade parking.
“The whole thing is problematic for me,” said Coun. Bill Harper. “I can’t see myself supporting this.”
Harper believes a better mix of suite sizes is required to meet community needs in the years to come.
Coun. Betty McIntosh said she has “great difficulty” with the small suites being proposed in the building, including some that are only 312 square feet. She said the developer needs to hear about the city’s future housing needs.
“I think the developer needs to understand what the demographics of this community are,” she said.
Coun. Jonathan Cote supports the provision of market rental housing that is being proposed in the building, but also expressed concern that it would only contain studio and one-bedroom suites.
“We are building a neighbourhood here,” he said. “There has to be a balance.”
Graham McGarva, a founding principal at VIA Architecture, told council that the low interest rates are what makes it feasible for rental buildings to be built at this time.
Tom Lancaster, a planner at VIA Architecture, said an “iconic” signature building is being proposed as the fourth building in the Plaza 88 development. In addition to the residential and commercial spaces, he said the site would include a large amount of open space.
“We far exceed the required open space contribution required for this tower,” he said.
Responding to concerns about the provision of studio and one-bedroom units, Lancaster said the building doesn’t stand alone but is one of four towers at the site. He said a lot of the two-bedroom units in the first three towers aren’t selling as well as smaller units.
