New Westminster will consider towers of 30 to 40 storeys in height on the Royal Towers Hotel site.
The city has received rezoning and development permit applications for the Royal Towers site at 140 Sixth St. -the corner of Sixth Street and Royal Avenue. In order to deal with the applications, staff sought clarity from council about anticipated building heights for the site.
The applications include an initial concept with towers between 30 to 40 storeys,” said a report to council. “Staff are seeking direction from council as to whether such building heights should be further explored.”
At its Oct. 21 meeting, council approved a recommendation directing staff to work with the applicant to advance a development proposal for the site, which may consider towers of 30 to 40 storeys in height.
The site is currently occupied by the seven-storey building with residential and commercial that was once home to the Royal Towers Hotel. The building, constructed in 1961as a hotel, was converted to 135 rental housing units in 2010.
The Royal Towers site is in Tier 2 of the Columbia Station Transit Oriented development Area.
“Properties within Tier 2 may be considered for additional building height (up to 12 storeys) and density,” said the report.
According to a staff report, an urban design principle that has been applied through the downtown has been to site the tallest building on the downslope and reduce building heights as sites move upslope. It noted that the intention of this principle was to maintain the visual prominence of the downtown and the riverfront. (The downtown area begins on the south side of Royal Avenue; this site is on the north side of the street.)
Monday’s report to council regarding the potential consideration of additional building height marked the first step in the application review process for the Royal Towers site. Next steps include: a preliminary report to council; an interdepartmental staff review leading to development of a suitable plan of development; applicant-led public consultation; a presentation to the New Westminster design panel; creation of a Be Heard New West webpage; submission of a comprehensive report to council – which could be followed by consideration of zoning amendment and housing agreement bylaws.
No public hearing will be held regarding this project.
According to the staff report, any application for the site would be expected to align with city policy related to rental replacement, tenant assistance, and public benefits.
“A public benefits package, commensurate with the proposed level of density and in accordance with relevant city policy, may include, but would not necessarily be limited to, in-kind amenities such as affordable rental housing, institutional space for civic uses, public open space, a not-for-profit childcare, and/or financing growth contributions,” said the report. “As part of the application review process, staff would evaluate the proposal against these policies and requirements and provide detailed analysis and related recommendations to council.”
In December 2018, the city's now-defunct land use and planning committee received a preliminary application from a developer that was proposing to build a mixed-use residential, retail, and childcare development on the site.
A staff report on that preliminary application stated the proponent was proposing to build 36-storey and 40-storey towers, which would be connected by a six-storey podium. That proposal included space for a non-profit childcare, a plaza at the corner of Sixth and Royal, and pedestrian connections between Sixth and Seventh streets.
It also proposed 1,340 square metres (14,426 square feet) of commercial space fronting on to Royal Avenue and Sixth Street, including a liquor store facing Sixth Street and a restaurant at the corner of Sixth and Royal.
