Community Benefits & Public Infrastructure Improvements

In addition to supplemented transit service (see “Transit solution”) and a number of economic benefits to the City of North Vancouver (see “Economic benefits”), the development of Harbourside will bring a host of other community benefits and public infrastructure improvements including:

• Kings Mill Walk park expansion and improvements
• Spirit Trail enhancement and expansion
• Improvements to key road intersections
• Bewicke Avenue at grade crossing safety improvements
• Unique public art installations
• Habitat preservation measures
• Adaptive flood management design to protect against sea level rise
• Connection to the Lonsdale Energy Corporation's (LEC) district energy system
• Car share vehicles
• Additional public parking

In addition to funding specific community benefits and public infrastructure improvements, Concert will also make a direct cash contribution to the City of North Vancouver’s Community Amenity Reserve Fund. 

Hot Topic Highlights

Over the past year – in an effort to provide maximum transparency throughout the process – the Harbourside blog has offered a series of timely “progress update” posts that have explained and documented the extensive City and community engagement process. In addition, this blog has dealt with the “hot topics” surrounding Concert’s plan for Harbourside. Below is a compilation of some of the key Hot Topic posts that may be of interest to newer readers of the blog.  

Addressing parking at Harbourside

Posted on January 8, 2013 – Click here to learn more

Traffic concerns at Harbourside

Posted on January 16, 2013 – Click here to learn more

Preserving views

Posted on February 13, 2013 – Click here to learn more

Sustainability

Posted on February 21, 2013 – Click here to learn more

Creating a sense of place

Posted on March 20, 2013 – Click here to learn more

The Spirit Trail - Connecting the North Shore communities

Posted on March 28, 2013 – Click here to learn more

Building upon Harbourside as a destination

Posted on April 10, 2013 – Click here to learn more

How public art will foster a sense of place

Posted on April 17, 2013 – Click here to learn more

Maintaining a commercial capacity

Posted on May 22, 2013 – Clickhere to learn more

Guiding principals at Harbourside

Posted on June 6, 2013 – Click here to learn more

Economic benefits

Posted on March 12, 2014 – Click here to learn more

Transit solution

Posted on March 17, 2014 – Clickhere to learn more

Public parks process

Posted on March 19, 2014 – Click here to learn more

Public Parks Process

Public park space is a key element of Concert’s overall plan for making Harbourside an enviable place to live, work and enjoy. As such, Concert is dedicating an additional acre to be used as public park space for the community.

Conceptual renderings depicting this space have been included in Concert’s rezoning application, but these are for visualization purposes only. Should Concert’s rezoning application be approved at the upcoming Public Hearing on April 1, one of the next steps will be a Concert-funded, City-led public parks process designed to  engage the community in determining how the public park space adjacent to the development should be programmed.

The City will be inviting the community to come and participate in a variety of public events aimed at teasing out what they would like to see. The park space will be shaped through the community feedback gathered over the course of this comprehensive community consultation process. City staff will use this feedback in the programming of the park space.

Concert has set aside an allowance to fund the City-led process, the park’s design based on community feedback and ultimately, the construction of the space.  

Harbourside’s Transit Solution

It has long been acknowledged that managing traffic and transportation is key to the success of Harbourside’s development. While there are numerous improvements proposed which aim to enhance on-street traffic flow and parking availability, keeping cars off the road in the first place through providing adequate transit service is a key component of Concert’s plan.

Currently, there is a TransLink bus service that connects Lonsdale Quay with Harbourside. However, this service is limited to morning “in” and evening “out” peak hours, and as such creates a barrier for many to adopting transit use. In an effort to directly address this challenge, Concert has been working collaboratively with TransLink and the City for some time in order to create a solution to the area’s existing transit shortage.

TransLink has now approved Concert’s proposal to provide a private independent shuttle between Harbourside and Lonsdale Quay in order to supplement existing transit service. Concert’s shuttle service is slated to begin in conjunction with occupancy of the first phase of Harbourside, and will continue until TransLink implements additional service.

Concert is proud to have worked collaboratively with TransLink prior to the construction of a development in order to ensure there is adequate transit service. As a result, this new independent shuttle service will make transit ridership a viable alternative to driving personal vehicles to and from Harbourside. 

Economic Benefits

Real estate developments today almost always bring a variety of benefits to the community as a result of their construction. These can generally be divided into two categories: community benefits and economic benefits. Today, we outline some of the economic benefits associated with the development of Harbourside.  

Public Infrastructure

Through Harbourside’s development, Concert will invest in infrastructure and related public realm improvements to the area. Included in this category would be road works, on and off-site traffic and transportation improvements (see “Traffic concerns at Harbourside”), and the implementation of an innovative flood management strategy.

Job Creation

During Harbourside’s construction, over 4,500 person-years of construction employment would be created over the project’s 10 to 15 year build-out period. Once complete, Harbourside will bring over 1,500 additional full-time jobs to North Vancouver through the new commercial and retail spaces.

Tax Revenue

Once complete, Harbourisde would increase the City’s annual property taxes by an estimated $2.3 million. This money will be spent by the City in accordance with their existing policy for property tax spending (click here for more information). 

Public Hearings Explained

With a Public Hearing date now set for April 1, we offer the following information regarding Public Hearings and what to expect from this process.  


What exactly is a Public Hearing? 

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 to either a Zoning Bylaw or the Official Community Plan. In Harbourside’s case, the Public Hearing is being held in order to review Concert’s rezoning application. 


What will happen at Harbourside’s Public Hearing?

Before the Public Hearing begins, sign-up sheets are placed outside of the Council Chambers 90 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Stakeholders who wish to speak during the Public Hearing have the opportunity to sign-up any time up until the hearing begins. There will be two sign-up sheets, one for speakers in support, and another for speakers in opposition.

The Public Hearing will begin with an introduction by the City Clerk. Next, there will be a comprehensive review of the project which will be given by City Staff. Following the project review, representatives from Concert will have the opportunity to make a 10 minute presentation on the development. Next, those who have signed up will have the opportunity to speak. Speakers will be called up in an alternating fashion between the two sign-up sheets. Once everyone has been heard, Council will then ask questions of City Staff and Concert’s representatives. After the Public Hearing is concluded, Council will make a decision on Concert’s rezoning application. 


Public Hearing
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
6:00 pm in Council Chambers
City of North Vancouver’s City Hall
Click here for map

Summary of the Process to Date

Concert’s rezoning application for Harbourside has now been referred to a Public Hearing on April 1, an important milestone which will culminate in Council making a ruling on Concert’s application. In this blog post we recap the extensive City and public consultation process which has occurred to date. 

Just over four years ago in December 2009, Concert fist applied to the City of North Vancouver to amend the Official Community Plan (OCP) to permit a more diverse, animated and active Harbourside. Specifically, the application proposed to retain the land’s current commercial capacity and add residential to the land use mix. In response to Concert’s OCP amendment application, the City initiated the Harbourside Waterfront Policy Statement Process – an extensive land use study involving the City, Concert and the community to determine the appropriate land uses, densities and building heights. As part of this study, the adjacent City lands including Kings Mill Walk were also reviewed. The Policy Statement was submitted to City Council in February 2011.

Concert’s OCP amendment application was subsequently revised to align with the recommendations of the community consultation. In addition, several stakeholder meetings and community consultation events were held as part of the OCP amendment process. With the support of the community and City staff, Concert’s OCP amendment application was approved by City Council in July 2012.

In November 2012, Concert initiated the rezoning application process. In addition to the application, two key documents were created in collaboration with City staff to dictate how the site would ultimately be developed – the zoning bylaw and the development permit area guidelines. While not a requirement of rezoning, Concert then organized a Town Hall Meeting in October 2013 as a way of providing further public engagement. At the Town Hall, Concert presented a revised application for Harbourside which included a number of changes since it was first submitted.

With the feedback received from the Town Hall Meeting, our rezoning application was further refined before going back to Council. The application, along with a comprehensive development zoning bylaw and development permit area guidelines, was then submitted to Council for what is known as “first reading”. The development zoning bylaw regulates 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. Because Council was satisfied with our revised application, the rezoning application was subsequently referred to a Public Hearing on April 1. 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.

As a result of the extensive process that has occurred, the rezoning application that will be presented at the Public Hearing is truly a reflection of the feedback we have received over the years from both the community and the City. As a result, we are confident that our plan will result in a win-win scenario for all stakeholders in Harbourside’s redevelopment. 

Harbourside’s Town Hall Meeting recap

A Town Hall Meeting for Harbourside was held on the evening of September 30 in order to present Concert’s revised rezoning application which integrates a number of changes since it was first submitted in December 2012. The event also served as a means of providing further public engagement prior to a formal Public Hearing.

More than fifty attendees represented various stakeholder groups and members of the public. Other attendees included the Mayor of the City of North Vancouver, five City Councillors, various other members of City staff, representatives from Concert and the consultants that have been engaged on the project.

The meeting was facilitated by CitySpaces Consulting. Retained by Concert with City approval, CitySpaces provided third-party meeting facilitation to help ensure a fair and open meeting process. Colette Parson of CitySpaces acted as the evening’s facilitator, while Sebastian Lippa (also from CitySpaces) recorded the questions and comments from the Q&A portion of the evening.

The first hour of the Town Hall Meeting served as an Open House where attendees could review comprehensive display boards which spoke to important aspects of the proposed development. In addition, they could informally speak with members of the project team about various aspects of the proposed development. The project team on hand included Concert’s President & Chief Operating Officer, Brian McCauley, key members of Concert’s development team and various consultants retained by Concert. Following the Open House, there was a formal presentation and an open forum for audience questions.

Based on CitySpace’s analysis of comment cards collected at the event, response to Concert’s proposal was overwhelmingly positive. In a direct question that asked respondents if they support Concert’s rezoning of Harbourside, approximately three quarters indicated they were in support. Feedback also showed a high level of support for the community benefits being proposed across all four areas of focus including enhanced access and parking, creating communities, environmental benefits and adding economic value. To learn more about proposed community benefits see “Community Amenity Contributions at Harbourside”.

Of the concerns raised, the majority were focused on transportation. The issues of parking, access and transit service were recurring hot topics. Fortunately, these are all aspects which have been key areas of focus for the Harbourside team. In conjunction with transportation consultants, Bunt & Associates, many strategies to address parking demands as well as traffic flow have been devised for Harbourside. To learn more please see “Addressing parking at Harbourside” and “Traffic concerns at Harbourside”. Regarding transit, Concert has fully recognized that good public transit service is integral to the success of this community. Concert has been working with TransLink and the City to explore options to improve service. While a firm plan has yet to be finalized, Concert is committed to finding solutions and funding transportation options.

With the feedback received from the Town Hall Meeting, the Harbourside team has since refined the rezoning application and submitted it to the City. For more information on the upcoming project milestones, please see “Harbourside Waterfront’s Next Steps”.

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)

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.   

Sharing community feedback – part two

This week we bring you a continuation of last week’s post. Below you will find additional samples of feedback we received via comment cards at various community engagement events on Harbourside.  

“Proposal is too uniform and boring - provide more height variation….” 
The artistic renderings which have been released to date are intended to give an overall sense of building scale and placement. Considerably more time will be spent refining the look of individual buildings to ensure there is enough variation to be visually interesting and avoid monotony. With the help of several architectural firms, each building will undergo separate Design Panel reviews by the City before development permits are issued. Building heights have been prescribed in the Official Community Plan (OCP), and will range from a maximum of eight or nine stories, to a low of just two stories. 

“I like the idea. As presented, this would be an attractive, usable addition to the City waterfront.”
Our sentiments exactly! The whole Concert team is excited for the opportunity to create something truly special and unique for North Vancouver.  

“A good mix of all is fine, providing everyone has access to the waterfront.”
We can assure you that the waterfront will remain fully accessible to everyone. Through a separate, City-led “parks process”, the exact look and feel of the waterfront and adjacent park space will be defined. 

“Would need better pedestrian and vehicle access. The traffic has increased greatly on the North Shore over the years with no increase in public transportation and our main street, i.e. Marine Drive, cannot handle the increasing numbers. The existing bridges are unsafe for pedestrians.”
In conjunction with transportation consultants Bunt & Associates, the issue of traffic flow has been considered holistically within a broader examination of transportation planning. For more information on plans to address the issue from all angles, see the post entitled “Traffic concerns at Harbourside”. To read about plans to expand the Spirit Trail, an important element for pedestrian connectivity at Harbourside, see “The Spirit Trail - Connecting the North Shore Communities”. Regarding bridge safety, there have actually been recent upgrades to the Bewicke Bridge. The bridge now includes a separated pedestrian walkway, and in future safety upgrades are planned for Bewicke Avenue to make this route a viable and safe option for pedestrians and cyclists. 

Watch for future blog posts where we will share and address further feedback we have received from the community.

Sharing community feedback – part one

For the past three years now Concert has been engaging nearby residents and businesses in order to gather important feedback which has helped shape our vision for what Harbourside could become. This week we wanted to share a sample of the feedback we received via comment cards at various community engagement events that Concert either hosted or participated in.  

“What will be at this site that will make it a destination one day? What will make this a gem for the City?” 
Great question! There has been considerable thought put into all the ways in which Harbourside would become a truly unique place that attracts people from across the North Shore and beyond. To learn more you should check out several of our past blog posts; “Building upon Harbourside as a destination”, “Enhancing parks & open spaces”, “Creating a sense of place” and “How public art will foster a sense of place”. 

“I believe this mixed-use community complex is exactly what the North Shore needs. I am very excited about the whole concept and would like to see it developed ASAP. Can’t wait to see it evolve.” 
Thank you for your support, we share your excitement about what Harbourside could become! To learn more about how Concert will contribute to the evolution of this community, check out our post on “Community phasing”.

“We need more free permanent (whole day) parking”
Parking management has been a key consideration our team has worked on in conjunction with Bunt & Associates, the transportation consultants we have retained. To learn more about the strategies which would be employed you can read “Addressing parking at Harbourside”. In addition, temporary measures are currently in place to make more parking available, see “Harbourside progress update: April 23 – May 7” for more details. 

“A very valuable waterfront site should be reflected in uses that take advantage of waterfront and others should not be included (e.g. warehouses, car dealers, many offices).” 
An excellent point, a world-class waterfront setting such as Harbourside is a scarce resource which should be reserved for the “highest and best use” so it can provide maximum benefit to the community. To learn more about what is being envisioned at a high level, check out our post on “Guiding principles at Harbourside”. 

Watch for future blog posts where we will pick up where we have left off here and share further feedback we have received from the community. 

The Concert team

In March we wrote about the “all star” team of consultants that Concert has assembled in order to transform Harbourside into a destination mixed-use community. Today we focus on two talented members of the Concert development team who have been championing this vision for Harbourside over the past four years. 

Lisa Lock – Vice President, Development
In Lisa’s 12 years with Concert she has managed the development of several award-winning large and mid-scale residential projects in Vancouver, West Vancouver, Richmond and Victoria. She has extensive experience working with City officials and community groups to reach successful, mutually beneficial agreements. Within Concert, Lisa is the senior development team member on Harbourside and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the process. Lisa has lived on the North Shore for 15 years, previously in the City of North Vancouver for 11 years in a heritage home she and her husband restored. 

Farouk Babul – Development Manager
Farouk has seven years of broad-based experience with Concert where he has worked in sales and marketing, acquisitions and ultimately development. Having worked on over a dozen projects, he now handles all of the day-to-day operations in the rezoning process for Harbourside under Lisa’s oversight. Farouk also serves as Concert’s representative on the North Shore Chamber of Commerce.    

Both Lisa and Farouk have been involved with the revitalization plans for Harbourside from the very beginning in early 2009. In speaking to either of them, it’s difficult not to share their excitement about the project. They are both intensely passionate about how Harbourside could be transformed into a unique mixed-use community with its own very distinct character and sense of place. They see this as a one-of-a-kind opportunity to help create the framework to foster community for generations to come. 

Guiding Principals at Harbourside

In order to ensure a large master-planned community comes together as envisioned, it is important to have a series of guiding principles in place to influence all aspects of the development before a shovel goes into the ground. In Harbourside’s case, these guiding principles are contained in the Development Permit Area (DPA) guidelines document which has been a collaborative effort involving City staff, advisory bodies and Concert. Harbourside’s DPA guidelines will control the form and character of the development in addition to regulating the look and feel of the surrounding buildings and public realm. The document can be broken into two board categories:

Environmental guidelines 
Environmental sustainability will be kept top of mind at Habourside. The primary objectives include designing the land use mix, transportation systems, buildings and energy systems to exceed the energy and carbon performance of conventional developments at the time of construction. Other environmental guidelines include effective management of rainwater and the reduction of potable water usage. 

Form and character guidelines
As a mixed-use development, Harbourside aims to revitalize waterfront land by creating a vibrant destination which is seen as a “complete community”. This attractive destination would include a mix of retail, office, residential and public spaces to animate the City’s waterfront. Specific objectives include:

• Ensuring the form and character of residential, multi-family, commercial and mixed-use development are a desirable addition to the City of North Vancouver. 
• Revitalizing an existing commercial node.  
• Delivering desirable public realm, landscaping and building exterior design.

Concert and the City of North Vancouver are currently working to finalize the DPA guidelines. Once finalized, this document will be submitted to City Council for consideration at Public Hearing, as part of our rezoning application. 

Maintaining a commercial capacity

Originally developed in 1996 and consisting of nearly 900,000 square feet, Harbourside is North Vancouver’s premier business park and home to the North Shore Automall. Its strategic location, within 10-minutes of the Lions Gate Bridge and Highway 1, has attracted a variety of commercial and industrial businesses and helped advance the City of North Vancouver’s business development goals. Today, the business park provides over 3,900 jobs to the City.

While Concert’s re-imagined Harbourside entails the addition of a broader range of uses including residential condominiums and rental housing, it has always been our intention to not only maintain the existing commercial capacity, but to build upon it. Concert’s development plans for the remaining waterfront parcels include the provision for a significant amount of high-quality office space. A total of at least 200,000 square feet of “AAA” office space is proposed which would be owned and operated by Concert, and provide for approximately 1,000 additional office jobs.

As it exists today Harbourside lacks the volume of amenities necessary to properly support the workforce such as convenience retail and services, or frequent public transit service. The construction of residential, along with additional commercial and retail space will help create the critical mass needed to make these amenities viable by serving the business community by day and the residential community by night.

Concert is proud to be able to build upon previous success in developing some of the City’s most desirable commercial space, while at the same time being able to add the supporting amenities required to make Harbourside an even more appealing destination for businesses. 

Rainwater management

In February we wrote about the wide variety of sustainably-minded initiatives and elements that are being planned for Harbourside Waterfront. Today we bring you some additional information about one particular element of our sustainability plan, rainwater management. 

In a typical development, the rainwater that naturally falls on a building’s roofs, sidewalks and internal roadways is captured, filtered to remove oil and grit, and then displaced into a body of water - which in the case of Harbourside is the Burrard Inlet. However, in order to achieve Harbourside’s sustainability objectives, Concert is developing a strategy to go well above and beyond the ordinary.  

Our civil engineer, landscape architect and recently-engaged water resource engineer are working on an on-site rainwater management strategy for the mixed-use community. Instead of simply moving the rainwater off-site, the rainwater management strategy will outline a plan for how this rainwater would be harvested, naturally filtered and reused in a sustainable manner. 

Specifically, the rainwater would be collected from the buildings’ green roofs, naturally filtered and captured for use in “rain gardens” which are water features that would be integrated into the neighbourhood. The green roofs and rain gardens would use natural materials and plants to clean and control rain water flows, and in doing so, would provide a natural habitat for pollinators, birds and other small animals to thrive in an urban environment. The rain gardens would further connect the site with its waterfront location and add to the marine-inspired character of the community. Another option the team is exploring is the possibility of capturing some of this excess rainwater as a means of irrigating the community’s landscaping – a particularly innovative strategy which would serve to decrease the community’s water usage. 

By taking a cue from nature and striving for integrated rainwater management design, Harbourside will not only relieve the pressure on municipal sewer systems but it will also begin to return to a more natural cycle that feeds water back into our local ecosystems. 

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. 

The Spirit Trail - Connecting the North Shore Communities

The North Shore has long been known for its natural beauty - dense forests, mountains, and scenic ocean and city views. This has no doubt attracted outdoor enthusiasts from near and far to enjoy what it has to offer. The Federal Government, Provincial Government, North Shore municipalities and Squamish Nation came together in 2007 to envision the Spirit Trail. The Spirit Trail is a 35 kilometer, multi-use and fully accessible greenway that will provide pedestrians, cyclists, inline skaters and people with mobility aids a safe and accessible path along the waterfront from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove. Once completed, the trail will contribute to the City of North Vancouver’s sustainability objectives and provide a healthy recreation and transportation option for North Shore residents and visitors.

Spirit Map Courtesy of the City of North Vancouver

The Spirit Trail traverses Kings Mill Walk – the City’s longest stretch of accessible waterfront park – designed, developed and donated to the City by Concert as part of the original Harbourside rezoning. Upgrades and enhancements to the park and Spirit Trail are  integral to Concert’s current mixed-use rezoning proposal. The enhancements include expanding and integrating the Spirit Trail along the development’s entire waterfront with separated bicycle and pedestrian paths; landscaping, lighting, furniture and public art that embraces the area’s unique character; areas to play or enjoy the breathtaking views of the water and downtown Vancouver; and outdoor, multi-purpose spaces for community gatherings.

Spirit Trail Improvements for Harbourside

As part of Concert’s transportation upgrades proposed for the area, a commitment has been made to improve pedestrian and bike friendly amenities. Think a bike share program between Harbourside and Lonsdale Quay, and a “bike station” with end-of-trip facilities such as lockers, showers and even a tune-up shop for cyclists and rollerbladers! Combined with the proposed Spirit Trail enhancements, including bicycle paths along Harbourside Drive and Fell Avenue for commuter cyclists, these amenities will provide residents and employees improved options to commute along the North Shore.

Imagine grabbing a coffee and enjoying the city views as you stroll along the waterfront on your way to the Seabus in the morning or avoiding rush hour and taking in the natural beauty as you cycle home. The proposed enhancements to the Spirit Trail will increase public access to outdoor space and help bring neighbouring communities closer to Harbourside.