The final tower in the Plaza 88 development is headed to a public hearing.
After going back-and-forth with the developer about various aspects of the proposed tower at 900 Carnarvon St., city council has authorized staff to prepare a zoning amendment bylaw for a mixed-use commercial/residential development at the site. Council will consider first and second readings of the bylaw on July 13 and will hold a public hearing on the application on Sept. 28.
In response to council’s concerns, the developer has worked to address issues such as the height of the building, the number of units, the size of the podium, the public realm along Carnarvon Street and vehicle access to the site. The proposed tower would have a maximum height of 374 feet (40 storeys) and would contain 398 units.
“It is acknowledged that this is a large development in terms of both the physical size and the building on the site and the number of units proposed in a rental tower,” stated a staff report. “With the many adjustments that have been made on this project, the current development proposal is considered to provide a reasonable high-density mixed-used development adjacent to a SkyTrain station.”
Coun. Mary Trentadue said she’s been pleased with some of the changes the developer has made as a result of council’s input, including the scope and look of the above-ground parking and the project’s conformance with New Westminster’s new family friendly housing bylaw.
“Overall, I am much happier with this proposal as it is,” she said.
While she’d still like the developer to “be a little bit more creative” with the use of the building’s amenity space, she said it’s a far better looking building than what was first proposed and she supports it going to public hearing.
“A daycare in the downtown, I think, would be a fantastic idea,” she said of the amenity space.
Coun. Patrick Johnstone supports sending the project to a public hearing, but still has some concerns about the project’s impact on Carnarvon Street.
“I am ready for this to go to public hearing to hear what the public has to say,” “he said. “They have done a lot of work.”
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr said he’s pleased the developer has made revisions to the plan that provide more three-bedroom units. The proposal now conforms to the city’s new family friendly housing policy.
“We are excited about this quality rental highrise being the last spike, so to speak, in our overall development,” developer Mike Degelder told the Record. “It has been a long haul with the city, but the ‘iconic’ end result warrants the time and sincere effort by all for this gateway location.”
