Bosa Properties is hoping to build new homes and commercial space on a Quayside parking lot.
The developer has applied to the city for a rezoning and a special development permit so it can build a mixed-use commercial and residential development at 1000 Quayside Dr., a site that’s currently home to the parking lot in front of the Inn at the Quay.
Bosa is proposing to build two 26-storey towers of market housing, as well as a seven-storey podium that includes 48 units of rental housing.
“The developer is also proposing to construct a pedestrian connection from McInnis overpass through the site, connecting the SkyTrain and the rest of downtown to the riverfront,” stated a staff report. “The connection consists of an at-grade pedestrian walkway through the building podium, which would be adjacent to vehicle access to the building, and a staircase and elevator to access the McInnis overpass …”
The staff report states that 368 one-bedroom units and 220 two-bedroom units are proposed. The applicant is proposing to provide 611 parking spaces, including 80 for the River Market site, but 974 spaces are required.
Before going to public consultation, council wants staff to work with the applicant to address issues including: the massing and design of the six storeys of above-grade parking and its relationship with the surrounding pedestrian areas; the quality of pedestrian linkages between the McInnis overpass and the waterfront; the number of parking spaces proposed for the development; the preservation of views and shading from the building; and the provision of adequate amenity space for the residents of the buildings.
Mayor Wayne Wright questioned whether the McInnis Street overpass would need to be widened to accommodate the increased population at the Quay.
Bev Grieve, the city’s director of development services, said one of staff’s tasks is to look at the transportation impacts of this project. “At this point, we don’t have an answer to that.”
Coun. Betty McIntosh expressed concern that the city could be underestimating the need for parking.
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr said he’d like to see the city creating larger units, as many people can’t afford to buy homes .
“We are really sending a message that we are accepting this trend toward smaller and smaller units,” he said. “I have a real problem with that.”
Puchmayr also expressed concern about the development’s potential impact on River Market. Grieve said the developer has been working very closely with River Market director Mark Shieh about the proposal.
Wright, who has lived at the Quay for 30 years, said many people go to River Market on the weekend, but it relies heavily on local pedestrian traffic on weekdays.
“The more people we can bring there, the more business there will be in the market.”
