New Westminster Updates

[officedweller]

A bit old and across the street:

100 Braid

Wesgroup twitter Nov 22, 2022.


We have made great progress at our purpose-built rental building in New Westminster.
Rising at 34 floors, 100 Braid will be comprised of studios, 1 to 3 bedrooms and townhomes with robust
amenities and a retail space that will be designated for an art gallery.
https://twitter.com/wesgroup

[Lexus]

Originally Posted by officedweller

A bit old and across the street:

100 Braid

Wesgroup twitter Nov 22, 2022.


We have made great progress at our purpose-built rental building in New Westminster.
Rising at 34 floors, 100 Braid will be comprised of studios, 1 to 3 bedrooms and townhomes with robust
amenities and a retail space that will be designated for an art gallery.
https://twitter.com/wesgroup

2023, Mar 5

by Lexus LX600, on Flickr

[madog222]

Updated concept plan for the 22nd Street Station area, the final plan is due by the end of the year.




Images from City of New Westminster https://pub-newwestcity.escribemeeti...cumentId=19530

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by madog222

Updated concept plan for the 22nd Street Station area, the final plan is due by the end of the year.

I wonder if that'll be enough - from a Daily Hive article on CoV Skytrain stations:

Under provincial legislation, TOAs emanating from SkyTrain stations have an 800-metre radius, with the Tier 1 inner radius of 200 metres enabling residential building heights of at least 20 storeys and a floor area ratio (FAR) density of a floor area that is 5.0 times larger than the size of the lot. The Tier 2 middle radius of 400 metres enables residential building heights of at least 12 storeys and a density of 4.0 FAR, while the Tier 3 outer radius of 800 metres enables residential building heights of at least eight storeys and a density of 3.0 FAR.

To be fair it's not like New West can change zoning in Burnaby or build on the Fraser River. But... those rings are a bit on the small size and I haven't seen anything about upzoning any of Queensborough (part of the acres of parking at the sprawling Outlet Mall are within 800m).

[mcj]

Love the transit overpass and plaza. Really hope these get prioritized when we finally see this come to fruition.

Towers in the concept sketch look very reminiscent of the towers being built at Southgate.

Originally Posted by Sheba

I wonder if that'll be enough - from a Daily Hive article on CoV Skytrain stations:

To be fair it's not like New West can change zoning in Burnaby or build on the Fraser River. But... those rings are a bit on the small size and I haven't seen anything about upzoning any of Queensborough (part of the acres of parking at the sprawling Outlet Mall are within 800m).

From the document Madog222 linked, they took the provincial legislation into account with this. "Mid-rise" here is the requirement of 12 storeys / 4.0 FAR and "low/mid-rise" is the 8 storey tier.

[madog222]

Crane is up for the Douglas College tower.

[jollyburger]

Crane for 100 Braid is coming down soon

https://www.newwestrecord.ca/local-n...n-site-9632653

[SpongeG]

I hadn't been in the uptown area for a while was surprised to see the progress

PXL_20241017_195921169 by snub_you, on Flickr

PXL_20241017_201132488 by snub_you, on Flickr

PXL_20241017_201225530 by snub_you, on Flickr

PXL_20241017_201325106 by snub_you, on Flickr

PXL_20241017_201341187 by snub_you, on Flickr

[officedweller]

Columbia Square
New Westminster

Columbia Square plan leads to 'weird' and 'unorthodox' New West council meeting
https://www.westerninvestor.com/brit...eeting-9690872


https://www.westerninvestor.com/brit...eeting-9690872

Staff Report:
https://pub-newwestcity.escribemeeti...cumentId=19854

Columbia Square Policy Statement:
https://pub-newwestcity.escribemeeti...cumentId=19857

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Columbia Square
New Westminster

Columbia Square plan leads to 'weird' and 'unorthodox' New West council meeting
https://www.westerninvestor.com/brit...eeting-9690872


https://www.westerninvestor.com/brit...eeting-9690872

Staff Report:
https://pub-newwestcity.escribemeeti...cumentId=19854

Columbia Square Policy Statement:
https://pub-newwestcity.escribemeeti...cumentId=19857

Council gave three readings to this today (Councillors Fontaine and Minhas opposed), so it'll be going ahead with the Master Plan planning now.

[mcj]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

Council gave three readings to this today (Councillors Fontaine and Minhas opposed), so it'll be going ahead with the Master Plan planning now.

With 80% of the DCCs dedicated to affordable housing instead of community amenities. Not sure if that's why Fontaine and Minhas were in opposition, but I'm not pleased with that. The area needs some kind of community centre/recreation facility/library, dare I say pool!?, y'know the kinds of capital projects municipalities should be providing instead of picking up the slack from the Province/Feds on subsidized housing.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by mcj

With 80% of the DCCs dedicated to affordable housing instead of community amenities. Not sure if that's why Fontaine and Minhas were in opposition, but I'm not pleased with that. The area needs some kind of community centre/recreation facility/library, dare I say pool!?, y'know the kinds of capital projects municipalities should be providing instead of picking up the slack from the Province/Feds on subsidized housing.

Yep that's a problem that is the same around the region. Just like schools the province drags their feet on funding.

[officedweller]

Royal Towers
New Westminster

30 to 40 storey towers to be considered at prominent New West site
https://www.westerninvestor.com/brit...t-site-9698598

[sitchensis]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Royal Towers
New Westminster

30 to 40 storey towers to be considered at prominent New West site
https://www.westerninvestor.com/brit...t-site-9698598

Thank god. That entire site is an eyesore. Especially when you see old photos of the city and see what it replaced.

[mcj]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Royal Towers
New Westminster

30 to 40 storey towers to be considered at prominent New West site
https://www.westerninvestor.com/brit...t-site-9698598

Here's the previous proposal from 2018, images taken from the urbanyvr article.











From the description of what's being proposed again, it seems like a rehashing of the 2018 proposal.

Originally Posted by sitchensis

Thank god. That entire site is an eyesore. Especially when you see old photos of the city and see what it replaced.

Are you able to find/share some of those photos? I'd be interested in seeing them

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by sitchensis

Thank god. That entire site is an eyesore. Especially when you see old photos of the city and see what it replaced.

what was there before? any pics? you piqued my interest

[officedweller]

http://archives.newwestcity.ca/Photo...00/IHP3642.jpg
BC Electric Headquarters and Bus Depot 1953
New Westminster, B.C.
http://archives.newwestcity.ca/Resul...=0&BG=&FG=&QS=

The Royal Towers Hotel was built on the BC Electric administration building site in 1961, incorporating the original building as part of the structure. A key aspect of Uptown was its embrace of early modernism along with post-World War II growth, while at the same time retaining many of its early homes and character.

https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/...y/3_Uptown.pdf

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by officedweller

http://archives.newwestcity.ca/Photo...00/IHP3642.jpg
BC Electric Headquarters and Bus Depot 1953
New Westminster, B.C.
http://archives.newwestcity.ca/Resul...=0&BG=&FG=&QS=


https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/...y/3_Uptown.pdf

thank you good sir

[GenWhy?]

These look to be the Columbia Square public benefits:
- 9,500sf of not-for-profit daycare
- purchaseable/leasable area for a school or add 6,000-12,000sf of daycare
- $60 million Density Bonus funds to the City
- 25% of the site area as public open space / park

[mcj]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

These look to be the Columbia Square public benefits:
- 9,500sf of not-for-profit daycare
- purchaseable/leasable area for a school or add 6,000-12,000sf of daycare
- $60 million Density Bonus funds to the City
- 25% of the site area as public open space / park

Seems pretty reasonable, I'll be writing in support. The shopping centre is very dated and turning those parking lots into public open space is an understated benefit in and of itself, not to mention a refresh of the Save On Foods which has to be one of the smaller and neglected locations out there.

The school space is also desperately needed. Here's hoping the $60 million is spend on community amenities rather than the municipality doing the Province's job and using it for subsidized housing as some councilors suggest.