Though it’s eventually slated to be the largest condo development on the North Shore, Harbourside will first be home to an incubator for foodie culture.
City of North Vancouver council voted unanimously Monday night to grant Hawkers Market, a Vancouver-based business that assists food industry entrepreneurs, a temporary use permit for the site.
Founder Chris Jerome is planning to build a $2-million, 6,700-square-foot “food incubator” including a shared kitchen space, demonstration garden and alfresco dining area at 925 Harbourside Dr. on the western edge of the property.
You’ll be forgiven if the term food incubator isn’t in your lexicon, though the idea is catching on in various industries around the world. Under the plan, 20 to 40 retail and wholesale food businesses will occupy shipping container “Hawker Boxes” brought in to the site.
They will be able to use shared resources like the kitchen as a cheaper alternative to renting a commercial space and buying their own equipment as they hone their business offerings.
After a term of six months to two years, the businesses will either strike out and find success on their own or fold to make way for something new.
Under the temporary use permit, Hawkers Wharf will be able to operate on the site for up to three years before having to apply for another temporary use permit. The plan does include building an extra 57 parking spots for visitors and 20 for Hawkers Wharf staff. By 2021, developer Concert Properties will likely be building the commercial/residential tower already approved for that site.
Jerome is also planning to get a liquor licence for the site and is already in talks with Vancouver craft brewery 33 Acres to provide beer at the site.
The project is intended to dovetail with the Shipyards and foot of Lonsdale revamp, especially after the Spirit Trail connection through Squamish Nation land at Mosquito Creek makes it easy for people to flow between sites, Jerome said.
The prospect drew a number of young foodie types and would-be business owners to council to urge approval of the application.
Two such entrepreneurs were Michelle Nahanee and her daughter, who are starting the Capilano Tea House, an indigenous, plant-focused tea house that combines traditional knowledge with contemporary business practices, Nahanee said.
“We’re excited to work with Hawkers Wharf. It’s a perfect opportunity for our business to come alive through their incubator program. It really gives us access to equipment, to a community of start-ups and expertise we think will bring our business to the next level,” she said.
When the idea first came up for council discussion in early April, there was hand-wringing over whether the project would “split the vibrancy” of the popular Friday Night Market. Those concerns appeared to be assuaged on Monday night.
“I was coming into this meeting actually leaning towards No, but I really liked the presentation that was given and the numerous concerns that I had have been addressed,” said Coun. Linda Buchanan.
Beyond being spur for more successful local businesses, the project would also draw people to the waterfront along the Spirit Trail in both directions, she said.
“I see this as something that will be quite synergistic to what we’re proposing for Lower Lonsdale,” she said. “I think it could potentially attract different demographics.”
Construction of the temporary Hawkers Wharf is expected to take several months and likely won’t be open for this summer, though Jerome stressed, the site will have covered canopies to keep hungry visitors comfortable year-round. Jerome has set up similar Hawkers food incubators in Calgary, Edmonton and a much smaller one in Vancouver.
