City of North Vancouver OKs new all-rental building

By: Brent Richter

Two more six-storey buildings are coming to the City of North Vancouver, bringing 130 new purpose-built rental homes to Upper Lonsdale and Mosquito Creek.

In both projects, as with all new rental buildings in the city, 10 per cent of the units must be offered at 10 per cent below market rates, as determined by the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation, for the lifespan of the building.

Council’s support for a six-storey mass timber building at 2762 Lonsdale Ave., however, was unanimous.

The project from Adera Developments will see 60 rental homes replace a 1969 building with 20 rental suites.

Although some neighbours called in during an earlier public hearing to say the project was too tall and would exacerbate already stiff competition for coveted free street parking nearby, council members were highly supportive of the project going ahead.

Coun. Jessica McIlroy noted the top storey was recessed, making the sixth story largely invisible to neighbours in surrounding homes.

“I believe the design does a good job of minimizing that impact in a way that still provides for a viable building that provides below-market housing,” she said.

Coun. Don Bell also addressed the desire from neighbours for something smaller.

“The reality is that we’re seeing not too many three-to-four-storey buildings anymore. We’re seeing four- and five- and six-storey buildings,” he said.

Coun. Holly Back noted she is usually very cautious about putting pressure on street parking, but added she had very little issue with what was being proposed.

“Most of those people, as our caller earlier, live in a single-family home and should not be parking on the street anyways because they have driveways and carports and garages,” she said.

Council also spoke highly of Integra Architecture’s design and use of mass timber, which sequesters carbon, rather than emitting it.

“It will greatly reduce the time period of construction and reduce construction noise, and possibly address climate change,” said Coun. Tina Hu, who added she appreciated the number of three-bedroom units suitable for families.

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