Anthem Properties’ proposal to increase rental units while decreasing parking spaces in an upcoming project on West 3rd Street was unanimously approved by the City of North Vancouver council at a meeting on March 11.
Anthem had submitted a Development Variance Permit application to vary the parking requirements in the existing Comprehensive Development zone for a project at 149 West 3rd Street in North Vancouver. North Shore Bowl and a grocery store had previously occupied the site.
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In July 2022, the council voted to approve a rezoning application for a 5-storey mixed-use building with 583.1 square metres of commercial space on the ground level and 57 for-sale residential units. The earlier proposal also included two levels of underground parking with 64 vehicle parking stalls for residential use and 12 for commercial use.
The applicant proposes changing the residential units from strata ownership to rental tenure while increasing the number of residential units from 57 to 80. However, this change comes with a shift in parking requirements from 1.05 vehicle parking stalls per unit to 0.6 parking stalls per unit, removing one level of underground parking. The commercial, visitor, and disability parking requirements will remain the same.
“By switching to rental and reducing the ratio of parking ratio, the applicant will be able to reduce the proportion of overall costs associated with parking provision. The commercial parking requirements will be unchanged,” the staff report notes.
The community benefits secured through the previous rezoning process, valued at approximately $2.4 million, will remain unchanged. Additionally, public art worth $85,000, a public access right-of-way, and a dedication of 3.048 metres along East 3rd Street for public realm improvement are secured as development conditions.
Mayor Linda Buchanan expressed her support for the shift in Anthem Properties’ development plan, citing the current economic climate as a reason to move the project forward. She added that the project will complement Anthem’s strata project, located immediately west of the proposed development.
Once again this incompetent Mayor and Council continue to show just how out of touch they really are! Seriously, do they not see the masses of cars parked on our streets cannot even get proper parking? What makes sense of adding MORE density and reducing people’s ability to have a parking stall for their vehicle where they live? The no-car agenda is not working and not going to work. The ongoing stupidity is astounding and it makes no sense whatsoever. Sure, give the developer the ability to add rental units, I get there’s an argument for that, but reduce the number of parking stalls? WTF? These people need to be VOTED OUT and half the Staffers at NVC need to be fired. We have way too much government and this needs to stop. We need to reduce our property taxes and this would be a great way to start that process!
What a stupid approval. Less parking spots= more trouble, people are already so frustrated trying to find a place to park. Who has 0.6 of a vehicle to fit in a 0.6 parking spot?
Fully support the strategy of providing more people with more places to live, work and play near the increasingly dynamic Lonsdale. With fantastic transit options, car sharing, bike labes and great walk ability, there is absolutely no need to use old paradigms and standards for parking. Great move council.
I wonder what percentage of potential renters will actually be able to take transit or walk to their place of employment? I for one, have to take 3 connections to get to my place of work from Lynn Valley to the Fraserview neighbourhood in Vancouver. And this takes an hour and a half. Why? Because transit is out of touch as well as Council.