Harbourside progress update: April 8 - April 22

A summary of what’s happening in the Harbourside planning process.

Sustainable Heating and Cooling
The Harbourside development team had a follow-up meeting with representatives from LEC (Londsdale Energy Corporation) and the City to further discuss the innovative proposal Concert submitted last month for sustainably managing heating and cooling demands. While further study is required, there is a strong commitment to working together to implement the most appropriate sustainably-minded solution for Harbourside. 

Public Transportation Planning
The team had another constructive meeting with Translink which covered important topics such as optimal bus stop placement and routing options to increase transit service to and from Harbourside. This positive meeting reinforced the commitment all parties share towards acting as partners while working towards the shared goal of enhancing accessibility and fostering a “transit-taking” culture at Harbourside.   

Community Amenity Contributions
Right from the outset of planning for a mixed-use Harbourside, significant community amenity contributions (CACs) have been planned – things like parks, public art, rental housing and street upgrades. The City has engaged Sandra Cawley of Burgess, Cawley, Sullivan & Associates to act as an independent, third-party mediator in assessing the methodology for calculating the CACs. Concert and the City will work together to finalize the CAC proposal in advance of Harbourside’s Town Hall Meeting. 

How public art will foster a sense of place

Recent posts have discussed some of the many ways we plan to build upon Harbourside’s distinct “sense of place” such as the creation of dynamic public spaces and the inclusion of boutique-quality, destination retail. Today we explain how our plans to integrate public art will enhance the community and further our placemaking goals. 

Rather than simply include a few pieces of art, we envision integrating public art holistically throughout numerous elements of the development. An artist will be selected to work collaboratively with the interdisciplinary design team to ensure a unique, Harbourside-specific character is injected into elements such as street furniture, lighting and landscaping. 

The plan also includes commissioning two iconic art pieces that would be located at key gathering points. Artists from the Pacific Northwest will be invited to submit proposals for art pieces which incorporate interactive elements influenced by the site’s unique quality of light, the harbour wind and proximity to the water. 

We are excited about the possibilities for creative expression through public art at Harbourside and believe it will help foster a greater sense of community and create lasting memories for visitors. 

Building upon Harbourside as a destination

Regular readers of this blog may already know that Concert’s vision for a truly mixed use Harbourside entails the integration of a wide range of boutique-quality, destination retailers as well as additional high-quality office space and a full-service hotel. This will build upon the existing 900,000-square-foot Harbourside Business Park which provides over 3,900 jobs and is home to numerous unique, local businesses which attract visitors from across the North Shore. 

Harbourside is already a place where you can enjoy gourmet treats from Thomas Haas Chocolates & Pastries, order a delectable meal from Louis Gervais Fine Foods & Catering, get a great workout at Level 10 Fitness & Physiotherapy or relax and indulge yourself at Spa Utopia. Many of these existing businesses are excited about what the future could bring for the area. 

"One of the reasons I think it's important that this development goes through is that I think North Vancouver needs more vibrancy, and this is in an area which is prime for that" says Anthony Findlay, owner of Level 10 Fitness & Physiotherapy. 

“I think the project…will benefit our and other businesses” said Thomas Haas, owner of Thomas Haas Chocolates & Pastries.

To build upon the success Harbourside Business Park has already enjoyed, Concert has engaged Colliers as the development’s retail strategy consultant. With their help, we will seek out the right tenants to build upon the solid foundation of businesses who have already been attracted to Harbourside. Bringing additional destination retail to the area will serve as a valuable community amenity for people across the North Shore including waterfront trail users, visitors to the dog park, new and existing businesses and future residents of Harbourside. Think boutique local retailers that offer something unique such as a one-of-a-kind waterfront brewpub crafting its own beer, a neighbourhood butcher who takes pride in bringing in the freshest cuts of local meat, a specialty bakery making bread the authentic old world way, a café serving up world-class artisanal coffee, a fine wine shop stocking all of the best Okanagan vintages and lifestyle-enhancing neighbourhood services such as a friendly yoga studio. For many, this is an exciting vision which would enable the area to come into its own as a truly special destination in North Vancouver. 

Harbourside progress update: March 19 - April 5

A summary of what’s happening in the Harbourside planning process.

Public art update

Since engaging Leesa Strimbiscki from Urban Art Management (UAM) as the art consultant for Harbourside, as mentioned in the Harbourside progress update: March 2-18, UAE, Concert and PWL Partnership have put together a preliminary Public Art Master Plan which has been submitted to the North Vancouver Public Art Advisory Committee (NVPAAC). The Public Art Master Plan identifies the vision and approach for public art at Harbourside. The concepts that underly the approach is to advance creative design through integrated and discrete pieces that celebrate the site and connect the community. The proposal will be presented on April 10 at the next NVPAAC meeting.