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Chesterfield project subtracts views, adds affordability

Rental could be beginning of new, denser Chesterfield

The City of North Vancouver may be getting a new Chesterfield.

In what could be a precursor to a slew of similar neighbourhood rezonings, council approved a five-storey 34-unit rental building at 1549 Chesterfield Ave. in a 4-3 vote at a June 19 meeting.

The development will likely mark the “first shift” along a corridor currently characterized by two- and three-storey rental and strata buildings built in the 1960s and ’70s, noted Coun. Linda Buchanan.

“It’s a new way of allowing people to live here in North Vancouver,” said Mayor Darrell Mussatto.

With home ownership out of reach for many, increased density is necessary to allow young people to rent in the city, he noted.

“They have it a lot harder than I ever did,” he said.

While still too big for many neighbours, the development is slightly smaller than it might have been. The site is zoned for a maximum of six storeys and a floor space ratio – which measures a building’s total floor space against its lot size – of 2.6. The new building is slated to be 59 feet tall with an FSR of 2.5.

The development still looks like a six-storey building in a five-storey envelope, observed Coun. Pam Bookham.

“In a sense, it’s as though you just took that six-storey building and kind of squished it down,” she said.

The change was also decried by neighbour Patricia Smith, who said she was “violently opposed” to the rezoning.

“The proposal to build a new five-storey (building) directly between me and my view is infuriating,” she wrote in a letter to council.

Because of her role serving in Canada’s military, Smith suggested she would incur a major loss when forced to move. “I know that destroying my view will significantly reduce my resale value.”

The project found enthusiastic support from single mother Carrie Patraschuk – who underlined the challenges of renting in the city in a letter to council.

“We currently live in a very old, poorly maintained building because it’s all that we can afford,” she wrote. “It would (be) wonderful to see families with a place to go that is new, rodent free, and still close to transportation.”
Kyle Statham, a resident of the building set to be replaced, agreed.

Having rented for 20 years, Statham said he was excited at the prospect of new rental apartments close to transit.

“I enjoy living in North Vancouver and I hope to continue to live and rent within North Vancouver,” he said.

Living next door to the development, Brad Tolhurst offered a different perspective, suggesting the “feeling of uniformity” along Chesterfield will be lost.

“It towers over us and eliminates a great deal of light and any feeling of privacy,” he said.

The building’s reduced setbacks were also a point of contention.

The new development is slated to be set 12 and 15 feet from neighbouring property lines. The current zoning calls for 20-foot setbacks except along the southern edge, where a 15-foot setback is permitted.

The loss of neighbourhood esthetic disappointed Coun. Don Bell, who voted against the project.

Besides blasting the setbacks, Coun. Rod Clark offered a less than favourable assessment of the building’s design.

“It’s a box with some balconies hanging off the side,” he said.

Buchanan suggested the new development isn’t fundamentally different from the current building.

“When I look at what’s currently there, it is also a box.”

Clark and Buchanan also jousted over parking.

The project comes with 17 underground parking spots for 34 units and no plan to allocate those spots, Clark stated.

“We have a giant parking problem. Why pour gas on the fire?” he asked.

The city needs developments that dovetail with an overarching philosophy emphasizing walkability, transit and cycling, according to Buchanan.

“We see, time and time again, that we overbuild for parking,” she said.

While she supported the project, Coun. Holly Back acknowledged parking could be a problem. However, the trade-off is that providing more underground parking – which tends to be extremely costly – would push rents higher.

The late 1950s-era building being replaced is 42 feet tall with 15 units.

The new building comprises 18 one-bedroom units, 13 two-bedroom units, and three units with three bedrooms.

Four of the building’s units are scheduled to be offered at 10 per cent below average rental rates for a decade, noted Coun. Craig Keating.

By 2016 rates, that would work out to be $1,060 for a one-bedroom unit and $1,480 for three bedrooms.

It may be a bit of a shock for the neighbours, Keating acknowledged. “But there will be more buildings along these lines coming forward,” he said, suggesting Chesterfield may soon be characterized by six-storey buildings.

The development was approved 4-3 with Couns. Bell, Bookham and Clark opposed.