A trio of four-storey buildings on East Third Street were approved Monday following a City of North Vancouver council debate that spanned mould, millennials, and the esthetics of Soviet-era forced labour prisons.
The 157-unit Green on Queensbury design suffers from similarities to the wall of grain silos at Richardson International, according to Coun. Rod Clark. “This design is more appropriate to a gulag than it is (to) Third Street,” he said.
A 1,000-square-foot two-bedroom unit might sell for about $700,000, according to a representative from developer Qualex-Landmark.
The city’s commitment to density has failed to achieve affordability, according to Clark.
Following the vote, Qualex-Landmark vice-president Parham Mahboubi stressed the company had “not even developed suite pricing yet.”
After praising the “industrial-contemporary look,” Coun. Linda Buchanan suggested the development represented an option for young people with “nowhere to live” in the city. “With all due respect to my colleagues – some who sit in single-family homes – families can’t afford single-family homes,” she said, noting her own home has appreciated in value by about 700 per cent.
The project won approval from council watcher Greg Vriend. “I have two young boys and I would love for them to live on the North Shore, but more importantly I would like them to live in their own home on the North Shore.”
The development may alleviate gridlock by offering employees a chance to “live where they work,” according to Coun. Holly Back. “I think $700,000 is actually not a bad price for a new two- or three-bedroom unit,” she said.
The affordability debate is “Groundhog Day all over again,” said Coun. Craig Keating.
Keating said he was “dying to hear” a plan that limits housing supply while addressing the regional affordability crisis and the cost of municipal programs. Even dilapidated Moodyville bungalows were recently being listed for between $1.2 and $1.6 million. “Come one, come all, young millennials, grab your piece of mould,” Keating said.
Zoning changes boosted land value in Moodyville, responded Coun. Don Bell.
The city needs to wrangle cash from developers to subsidize housing and daycares, according to Bell. “We need to really start looking at getting affordable housing.”
There is only so much the developer can deliver, countered Mayor Darrell Mussatto.
The mayor reminded council that the developer is slated to foot the bill for a $2.5-million revitalization of Moodyville Park, expanding the park by about 25,000 square feet. “If we wanted a daycare we could’ve asked them for a daycare … but it would’ve come out of the amenity package,” Mussatto said.
The issue of affordability is linked to lack of leadership from senior levels of government, according to Mussatto. “We don’t see that leadership from the provincial government and we don’t see it a lot from the federal government, either.” East Third Street is part of a rapid transit route that runs through the North Shore, he said. “This is the right place to put the density.”
Coun. Pam Bookham differed, calling the project a “significant deviation” from the original plan to target growth along the Lonsdale corridor. In addition to the price, Bookham also took issue with the design. “It’s another wall.”
The motion passed 4-3 with Couns. Bookham, Clark, and Bell opposed.
The development is slated to include 74 two-bedroom and 34 three-bedroom units, including 26 townhomes.
