Sharing community feedback – part three

This week we bring you more samples of feedback we received via comment cards at Harbourside community engagement events. 

“I worry about the market for office this far away from transit.”

Actually transit does currently serve the Harbourside community. That being said, we recognize that enhanced transit service would be a necessity going forward. Our team has been in talks with TransLink to enhance service by instituting a new route that would serve not only Harbourside, but surrounding communities as well. To facilitate this, Concert would directly subsidize the service through payments to TransLink, a first among the Lower Mainland’s development community. 

“I think it is good...the opportunity to live and work in the same neighbourhood is the right direction. The addition of residential area is mandatory to the development.”

We totally agree, your thoughts align perfectly with our vision for Harbourside. After all, this strategy of mixing uses within a community is not a new concept. Rather, this time-honoured tradition has produced the most renowned cities in Europe by imparting upon them a certain “something special” which is extremely difficult to reproduce in single-purpose communities.  

“I really like the concept of a “whole community”. I just hope that it will be sustainable for the retailers.”

It is our belief that Harbourside will not only be sustainable for our retailers, but that the community will ultimately become a premiere space for entrepreneurs to select. A primary method of increasing traffic to our retailers will be the transformation into a true mixed-use community by adding 800 residential and rental homes, 200,000 sf of high-quality office space and a full-service hotel with banquet capacity. Also, by carefully casting our retail tenants we will be able to expand upon the boutique/artisan tone already set by current Harbourside tenants, thereby drawing visitors from across the North Shore and beyond. To learn more about our vision for the retail space, see “Building on Harbourside as a Destination”.

“Area is clearly underutilized with current zoning as proven by peak-time only congestion. Addition of residential could add work/live opportunities and tier on to Lonsdale Quay could alleviate traffic. Proposal would largely produce counterflow traffic.”

That is exactly the conclusion that our traffic consultants, Bunt & Associates have drawn.

While one might imagine that adding density to an area would automatically equate to traffic congestion, when the use is varied, this is not necessarily the case. To learn more about how we plan to address traffic concerns see “Traffic Concerns at Harbourside”. 

For your opportunity to learn more about Concert’s plans for Harbourside in person, and to pose your own questions, be sure to attend our Town Hall Meeting in September.

Town Hall Meeting

September 30, 2013

Unit 300 – 889 Harbourside, North Vancouver

6:30 – 7:30pm (open house)

7:30 – 9:00pm (presentation and Q&A)

Harbourside progress update: July 10 – Aug 16

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

Meeting with engineering
The Harbourside team recently met with the City’s engineering department to discuss details related to traffic and transportation planning. Their comments will be integrated into the final traffic and transportation strategy document that is being prepared by our transportation consultants, Bunt & Associates. 

Mediator’s report on CACs
Sandra Cawley of Burgess, Cawley, Sullivan & Associates – the mediator the City hired to help to assess the calculation methodology and amount of community amenity contributions – has now completed her recommendations report. Both Concert and the City are currently reviewing the document and are working together to finalize a CAC proposal in advance of Harbourside’s Town Hall Meeting. For more information on the CACs being contemplated, click here. 

Sponsoring North Vancouver’s “Concerts in the Square”
Have you been to “Concerts in the Square” in North Vancouver? Now in its third year, this unique outdoor event features free outdoor concerts each Saturday night in August. The event is hosted in Shipbuilders’ Square, an outdoor plaza along the waterfront which is adjacent to the Lonsdale Quay, transit and ample parking. Concert is proud to be the presenting sponsor on Saturday, August 17 which will feature a wide variety of musical performances from Five Alarm Funk (funk), Redeye Empire (rock-reggae), Good for Grapes (folk/alternative) and Stef Lang (pop). In addition to the music, there will also be an “Art on the Pier” exhibit showcasing local artisans and vendors. Gates open at 5:00pm, with live music starting at 6:00pm.

Community Amenity Contributions at Harbourside

Known colloquially as CACs, community amenity contributions are in-kind or cash contributions provided by real estate developers when the City grants development rights through rezoning. 

Due to the fact that demands on City facilities and infrastructure increase with a rezoning as result of new residents and employees in the area, CACs offset this impact while also serving as a method of profit sharing between the developer and the broader community. 

Throughout the CAC process, the multimillion dollar question inevitably becomes, how exactly does one determine the scope and magnitude? Because each rezoning situation is unique, assessments are typically made on a case-by-case basis and negotiated between the developer and the City. In Harbourside’s case, the City has engaged an independent, third-party mediator to ensure maximum transparency in this process. 

From the outset of planning for a mixed-use Harbourside, significant community amenity contributions (CACs) have been part of Concert’s vision. Initiatives Concert has proposed include:

Public realm enhancements
Concert is proposing the creation of a variety of public real enhancements which would help to foster a coherent and distinct “sense of place” at Harbourside. A universally accessible viewing deck along the waterfront would provide direct public access to the water; something which cannot be found elsewhere in North Vancouver. Large public waterfront gathering spaces would also be integrated within the new street design, the perfect venue for farmers markets or cultural festivals. Finally, significant funding for public art would serve to further enhance the character of the public realm.

Traffic & transportation improvements
Harbourside’s development would bring with it a host of offsite traffic and transportation upgrades. A primary area of focus would be upgrading offsite roads and intersections that feed into Harbourside to improve vehicular access. The addition of 50 parking stalls would help alleviate parking shortages, as would the addition of four car share vehicles. Furthermore, pedestrian rail safety and landscape improvements along Bewicke Ave would make walking or cycling into Harbourside more viable. Concert would also be the first developer to work with Translink to subsidize a new bus route; this would increase service to and from Harbourside and neighbouring communities. Furthermore, construction of an integrated transit "hub" would include thoughtful amenities such as free WiFi access to make transit ridership more pleasant. Finally, Concert is looking at funding a “travel coordinator” for 12-15 years who would work with businesses and residents to promote sustainable transportation options.  

Park & Spirit Trail upgrades
Parks and open spaces would be a key element of the Harbourside community and serve to maintain a connection to nature. In addition to the 2.5 acres of public open space which would be created within the new development at Harbourside, Concert would dedicate 1.2 acres of additional park area to the City. Concert would also provide funding for a City-led public parks process which would determine the highest and best use for existing and newly-dedicated park lands, and subsequently fund these improvements. Concert has suggested that a sandy beach, complete with volleyball courts, might be a welcome addition to North Vancouver. Connections to the Spirit Trail would be expanded and enhanced with the addition of separated pedestrian and cycling paths and landscaping. A concession kiosk, complete with food service and public washrooms, would serve as the perfect public gathering point along the Spirit Trail. Finally, there would be both habitat restoration and enhancement of the shoreline as well as adjacent creeks.  

Other contributions
Concert would employ a forward-thinking design to address flood control management concerns at present, while also building in the capacity for further adaptation to address sea level rise in the future. Providing space for a LEC District Energy “mini-plant” would not only help to power Harbourside, but it would also benefit the surrounding community’s expansion in the future. Harbourside’s construction would also create significant economic value to the local economy by creating 4,500 construction jobs, employment space for 1,500 full-time jobs and $2.3M in annual property takes for the City. In addition, there would be 50,000 square feet of retail amenities to serve the community as well as 100 rental homes to help alleviate the City’s shortage. Finally, Concert would make a significant cash contribution to the City above and beyond the initiatives and amenities described above.  

The City has engaged Sandra Cawley of Burgess, Cawley, Sullivan & Associates to act as the mediator in the process of assessing the methodology for calculating the CACs at Harbourside. With her help, Concert and the City are close to finalizing a CAC proposal. Once complete, this proposal will be presented at the upcoming Town Hall Meeting, currently anticipated for September.  

Harbourside Waterfront’s next steps

What exactly are the next steps in the Harbourside Waterfront project? Today you will learn about the upcoming milestones on the road to creating a new and special designation on North Vancouver’s waterfront.

While not a requirement of rezoning, Concert will be organizing a Town Hall Meeting as a way of providing further public engagement. At the Town Hall, currently anticipated for September, we will present our revised application for Harbourside which includes a number of changes since it was first submitted in December 2012. The revised application integrates an updated flood management design that can be adapted for sea level rise over time; an updated transportation assessment that improves access and parking to the site and mitigates the effects of this development on surrounding neighbourhoods; and a Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) plan which includes a number of on-site and off-site amenities such as upgrades to the public park space as well as a significant cash contribution to the City.

With the feedback received from the Town Hall Meeting, we will then refine our rezoning application further before going to the City of North Vancouver’s Council. Our application, along with a comprehensive development zoning bylaw and development permit area guidelines, will be submitted to Council for what is known as “first reading”. The development zoning bylaw will regulate density, height, setbacks, site coverage and other qualitative restrictions while the development permit area guidelines document controls the form and character of the development and the public realm. If Council is satisfied with our application, the rezoning application will then be referred to a Public Hearing, anticipated for October or November. Public Hearings provide an opportunity for Council to hear from those who believe their interest in a given property may be affected by proposed changes. Following the Public Hearing, Council will make a decision on our application.

Subsequently a “parks process” will engage the public and define the exact look and feel of the park space at Harbourside. This process will re-evaluate Kings Mill Walk park and determine the programming for the 1.2 acres of additional park space which Concert is dedicating to the City. This process will be funded by Concert through part of the cash contribution and will be led by the City.

With the rezoning complete and the parks process completed, the Harbourside team will then pursue development permits for the individual buildings within the first phase of construction. Throughout the development permit stage; there will be opportunities for public consultation as well as City Advisory Body review to ensure that each and every building is a deserving addition to the community.