New West residents will get a chance to provide input on the redevelopment of Columbia Square as part of the development of a master plan for the site.
At a special meeting on Oct. 28, council voted 5-2 in support of three readings to a zoning amendment bylaw for 88 10th St., where a project is proposed that includes up to eight new towers, commercial space, greenspace, a daycare and more. Many community members have taken to social media and written to city council about the project – some in support and others in opposition.
On Monday, council also endorsed a Columbia Square “policy statement” as a basis for developing a master plan for the site – a plan that must be completed before council considers adoption of the zoning amendment bylaw.
“I want to highlight something from the report regarding the zoning amendment bylaw. And this is a quote: ‘This zoning district has been drafted to be flexible, allowing the opportunity for further regulations, requirements, and guidelines to be identified and refined through the master planning process and layered on top,’” said Coun. Jaimie McEvoy. “So, it's not the end. Final approval of the project is dependent on the creation of a master plan, which council, it certainly sounds like wants to be fully engaged in.”
According to the city, a public hearing is prohibited for this application because it meets the intent of the city’s official community plan. Because no public hearing is permitted regarding this application, council was not allowed to hear directly from the applicant or receive public delegations on this issue from community members at the Oct. 21 and 28 meetings.
A staff report said additional opportunities for engagement will take place during the development of a master plan for the site at 88 10th St.
Coun. Ruby Campbell thanked all of the community members who had written to council about the project – and encouraged them to stay involved in the process.
“I do appreciate all the letters and the emails, so thanks to all that took time to write them,” she said at Monday’s meeting. “Should this pass this afternoon, I encourage everyone that wrote us a letter to actually participate in the master plan process.”
The City of New Westminster is using an “adapted application review process” for this site, which establishes the land uses and densities that will be considered on the site before the master planning process begins.
“Prior to the zoning amendment bylaw being brought forward for adoption, a master plan would be developed, as guided by the proposed policy statement,” said a report to council. “The master plan would serve as a detailed blueprint for the future development.”
A staff report said the multi-phase development includes up to three million square feet of residential (in up to eight new towers), replacement of all of the existing retail floorspace currently located in the shopping plaza, a minimum of 3,900 square metres (41,979 square feet) of commercial office space, a minimum of 885 square metres (9,500 square feet) of not-for-profit childcare space, and an option for the school district to purchase or lease property from the applicant for an urban format public school or other facility.
The policy statement that’s been developed to guide the process covers a wide range of issues, including the need for the applicant to continue working with the school district through the master planning process on opportunities for a school in the development. It also includes provisions for the creation of a public open space network of approximately 25 per cent of the site, including a central open space.
Coun. Nadine Nakagawa said it’s “unusual” for the city to have a policy statement that guides the process. She questioned what mechanisms are in place to hold the city and the developer accountable to the principles in that document.
“I'm worried about the potential for us to slip away from them and give up ground on those,” she said. “I think that the principles in there are quite progressive and quite offer a lot for the community.”
Demian Rueter, manager of development planning, said the policy statement is intended to be a higher level document that represents about 60 per cent of what the city expects to see in the master plan.
“That master plan … would be a little bit more specific about how each of those things is proposed to be met,” he said.
Jackie Teed, the city’s director of planning and development, said a lot of the requirements would be secured through a development agreement that is registered on title.
“Today, we are only recommending that council give the application three readings, and then council would be able to reconsider at adoption whether to approve the bylaw or not,” she said. “Between that time, the master plan process would take place, being governed by the policy document. We would also be doing the development permit application review as part of that detailed planning.”
Nakagawa said she would be supportive of having certain aspects of the project registered on title, such as the policy action that states childcare facilities should be provided in Phase 1 of the project and that greenspace is provided in the development.
“The green space, I think, is essential, when we're building this kind of density in that neighbourhoods. That childcare component is absolutely essential,” she said. “So, I just want to ensure that we have the mechanisms in place to move this beyond policy and into action.”
Coun. Tasha Henderson supported three readings of the zoning amendment bylaw but made it clear that her support for final approval of the bylaw is contingent on a number of factors being met.
“For me, this will mean that the plan has to come back with a real nod to the need for greenspace for children to play, for children-oriented spaces outside; that there was a real concerted effort on behalf of all parties to ensure the inclusion of a school and daycare and all those good things. There's also talk of a community amenity space in here,” she said. “For me, this is not the final approval.”
Final approval of the zoning amendment bylaw and development permit will come at a later date, Henderson said.
“We all still have an opportunity to say that ‘actually, what you've developed isn't good enough’ at that time,” she said. “This is a struggle for me. … There are a lot of good things in this relative to the large parking lot that's there. But I will reserve final judgment for when that plan comes to us, if this is approved today. Because I think that that will really spell out and demonstrate whether this is a livable development, as opposed to one that just checks some boxes. So that final plan will be very important for me moving forward.”
