The owners of Capilano Mall are coming forward with initial plans for a massive redevelopment of the tired and cavernous site. There’s no question it is due for a change.
In broad strokes, the concept on the table includes 11 towers ranging from 12 to 40 storeys, with 3,100 new homes, 152,000 square feet of commercial space, a new community centre, a 1.5-acre park and a new transit node along Marine Drive.
The details of the proposal are liable to change as the city carries out public consultations in the months ahead but, no matter what the finished project looks like, it will likely be the biggest change to the face of North Vancouver since the revitalization of Lower Lonsdale.
No doubt, the scale of this will come as a shock to the system for many. We foresee already how much of the discourse will be dominated by concerns about traffic on the already congested Marine Drive.
Mayor Linda Buchanan has signalled that this development will be among the least car-oriented on the North Shore. That notion would certainly be helped by the new NDP government following through on their promise to get a bus rapid transit line running in the near-term. LRT would be even better.
But with a development of this scope, we believe the city must leverage as many below-market rentals as possible and prioritize them for local workforce housing. Filling those towers with local teachers, hospital staff and retail workers who currently have to commute across the bridges will go a long way to alleviate traffic and the public’s concerns.
From an urban planning perspective, a “blank slate” of this size is a rare opportunity. There is a chance to innovate. Let’s not waste it.
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