A host of new townhomes is coming to the rapidly expanding Lions Gate Village community.
At a meeting on Monday, District of North Vancouver council approved two new projects that will create a total of 127 units.
The larger of the two strata proposals will replace 10 single-family lots at 1915-1987 Glenaire Drive and 1974-1990 Belle Isle Place with 104 townhomes.
That development will include 31 studio/one-bedroom units, seven two-bedroom units and 52 three-bedroom units. There will be an additional 14 lock-off suites attached to some of the three-bedroom homes.
Residents will be spread across 10 three-storey buildings, with 173 parking stalls in a single-level underground parkade.
According to a resolution previously passed by council, a $1.9-million community amenity contribution from the developer will go directly to the district’s affordable housing fund.
Coun. Jim Hanson said he was pleased to support the project.
“I note that all of the speakers at the public hearing were overwhelmingly in support of the proposal,” he said.
“Many of us would like to see more rental, more affordability and less parking for vehicles in a place that’s so well serviced by transit,” Hanson said. “However, at this stage, based on all of my experience at this council table, I have come to believe that this is in fact the best that we’re going to achieve for this site.”
Council debates particulars of developer fees for affordable housing
The smaller strata project will build 23 stacked townhome units at 1900-1950 Sandown Place, in place of three existing single-family properties.
That plan will create three one-bedroom units, 15 two-bedroom units and five three-bedroom units. Three of the three-bedroom units would have two-bedroom lockoff suites.
The new homes would sit in a pair of three-storey buildings. One underground parking level would provide two stalls per unit.
The applicant is expected to pay around $1.7 million in off-site works related to engineering and landscaping the surrounding land, as well as developer cost charges of around $450,000.
There will also be a $371,145 community amenity contribution, which can be allocated to affordable housing, or improvements to parks and trails.
But some on council wanted all of the CAC to go directly to the affordable housing fund. Coun. Catherine Pope made a motion to that effect, which was supported by Hanson.
Staff recommended against this, as some of the district’s current cash flow is tied to projects that are still underway.
Mayor Mike Little said, “I think I’ve heard from the staff that they need a little bit of flexibility to round out the year’s finances.”
“I worry about us tying the hands of staff entirely too much with the cost installations that we’re seeing and our ability to get projects complete,” he said.
But Pope said she wanted to do everything possible to provide affordable housing, and make sure there’s money for it.
“It shouldn’t be a problem to just designate it as going into the affordable housing fund if it’s a community amenity,” she said.
Coun. Herman Mah agreed with some of Little’s comments about restricting the use of community amenity funds.
“We’re building housing, but we’re also building complete communities, and that includes parkland, that includes trails, there’s a whole bunch of other amenities that we need as well,” he said.
Ultimately, Pope’s motion was defeated. But the rest of council agreed that the issue of these kinds of fees going directly to affordable housing should be referred back to staff for future consideration.
