The City of New Westminster is proposing a "bold" new vision for a prime piece of real estate on the waterfront.
In response to recent and future changes to New Westminster's waterfront, the city is proposing a new vision for the Larco site. The site is currently a parking lot between Westminster Pier Park and River Market.
An application approved by city council in 2005 allows Larco Investments Ltd. to build 911 residential units in five high-rise towers on the site. On Monday, city council directed staff to consult with Larco on the city's desire to amend the zoning and special development permit for 660 Front St., to conduct community consultation to discuss the implementation of the downtown waterfront vision and to prepare a new zoning amendment bylaw for the site for council's consideration at a future meeting.
Coun. Bill Harper said it's a "bold move" by council.
"It's a logical next step," he said. "I am really hoping Larco will be sympathetic to this and consider redevelopment."
The staff report stated TransLink's decision not to proceed with construction of North Fraser Perimeter Road provided council with a new vision for the Front Street corridor and the Front Street Parkade, which includes opening Front Street to sunlight and enhancing views of the Fraser River.
"As the city implements the downtown community plan, Front Street will be returned to a pedestrian friendly retail street with historic storefronts. Seamless connectivity to the waterfront will be achieved by an elevated Sixth Street overpass, allowing for barrier-free movements to the waterfront and the Westminster Pier Park for pedestrians and cyclists," stated a vision statement adopted by council in 2011. "Over time, the Front Street Parkade will be replaced with new public parking decentralized throughout the downtown. The rail corridor will be cleared up and train whistles will be eliminated. When the Pattullo Bridge is reconstructed, direct access will not be permitted to Front Street. In addition, the city will seek to prohibit it or restrict commercial truck traffic from Front Street."
Mayor Wayne Wright said the proposal is not only bold and visionary but it's also practical for Larco. He said the company owned the property for many years but hasn't been able to build up until this time.
"The city has changed," he said about the need for a new plan for the site.
According to Wright, Larco stands to benefit from some of the positive changes taking place in the area around its property.
"We are in constant touch with them," he said. "They know how important that piece is."
Lisa Spitale, the city's chief administrative officer, said the city needs to have a conversation with Larco about community values, given that North Fraser Perimeter Road is off the table and the adjacent site is now a park instead of the formerly planned high-density residential development.
"We still want development along that waterfront. The downtown is a growth concentration area, and we still want to see residential development along the waterfront because it actually services all the things we have been talking about - the relationship to the River Market, certain levels of densification for the downtown," she said. "The issue then is, good planning principles say you need to work with what is happening around you."
Staff will report back to council when they have a sense of Larco's interest in the proposal.
"What I want to say to them is, 'we still want you to build, but we want you to build in a more sympathetic way, and we don't see the existing level of density as something that is sympathetic, so let's talk about what still works for your development and is sympathetic for ours'," she said. "I really do want to find a win-win for them and a win-win for the city."
Coun. Jaimie McEvoy said the image of five towers on the waterfront no longer fits in with the goal of creating a livable downtown.
"This is a huge step," he said. Staff created a set of principles that will be brought forward for discussion with Larco and the community, as part of the city's proposal to work with Larco on a new plan for the site. The principles include supporting an esplanade and multifamily residential as an appropriate land use at the site, with two tall, slender residential towers that are sited to maximize open and green space on the site being one proposal that could be supported.
The principles state that Larco has a number of development obligations under the existing development agreement, so these would need to be re-evaluated and amended if a new zone and special development permit were devised.
In March 2005, council voted 4-2 in favour of allowing Larco Investments Ltd. to proceed with a residential project that would feature five towers ranging from 25 to 30 storeys. As part of the plan approved by council, the developer would provide amenities such as pedestrian overpasses at McKenzie and Begbie streets, 50 per cent of the costs of a vehicle and pedestrian overpass at Sixth Street, a landscaped esplanade on Larco's property and the water lot located over the Fraser River and 148 public parking stalls.
Spitale said the Larco's obligations were based on the plan for a certain level of density along the waterfront. She said the requirements being sought from the city, as well as the creation of a park on the Westminster Pier site that was slated for several highrises, could change the requirements and make the project feasible and economical for Larco.
In 2005, some councillors were considering a proposal to downzone the property or reduce the scale of the proposal, but some were concerned about potential legal ramifications.
"What is our responsibility? What can we do?" Wright asked The Record Thursday. "We are not going to overstep our boundaries. There is a lot of dialogue." Spitale said the city plans to meet with Larco representatives in the next few weeks to discuss the site. She couldn't say whether the city would take action to prepare new zoning for the site if it was unable to get support from Larco on a plan for the site
tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com
