River District (East Fraserlands) Updates

[Lexus]

2025, July 22

Harlin
(Parcel 29)

New and the only crane at River District

Untitled by Lexus LX, on Flickr

The Lake River District (aka Ardea) is getting deeper by the day and starting to develop a bit of a smell. It’s getting to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised if frogs start nesting there soon…

Untitled by Lexus LX, on Flickr

[Zepfancouver]

That's a first that I have ever seen. Thanks! Lexus

[madog222]

Wesgroup wants above group parking…

Amend CD-1 (566) and CD-1 (567) to permit above-grade parking (AGP) on Parcels 19.1, 30, 33/34, and 35/36 in Area 1 of East Fraser Lands (EFL). Parking to be excluded from FSR. Consequential ODP amendment will be required. Additional changes include transfer of the housing tenure type between Parcel 30 and 33 (social vs. strata), along with housekeeping amendment to correct the live-work use description in CD-1 (566).

https://plposweb.vancouver.ca/Public/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=Guest&PosseObjectId=268401291

[LeftCoaster]

Makes sense, building below grade in that "soil" is very expensive. If the City wants to deliver somewhat affordable housing in the RD they are going to need to pivot their expectations on either allowing A/G parking, or allowing no parking provisions in a non-TOD area.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Makes sense, building below grade in that "soil" is very expensive. If the City wants to deliver somewhat affordable housing in the RD they are going to need to pivot their expectations on either allowing A/G parking, or allowing no parking provisions in a non-TOD area.

I think the City no longer require residential parking anywhere in the city. If that's so, it would be Wesgroup who feel the need to provide parking for further phases of development, which is understandable given the level of transit that the area currently has.

[officedweller]

If they hide it behind retail or townhouses, it wont look awful.
Think typical Richmond projects or Dolce Vita in downtown Vancouver.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Changing City

I think the City no longer require residential parking anywhere in the city. If that's so, it would be Wesgroup who feel the need to provide parking for further phases of development, which is understandable given the level of transit that the area currently has.

I think people underestimate how much transit there is here. Sure it's not next to a Skytrain station but it's not miles from a bus route. It's only a few mins walk to Marine, which has the 100 (FTN route) connecting to 22nd St and Marine Dr Skytrain stations. Then there's the 31 that connects with Metrotown station and the 80 rush hour express that connects to Marine Dr station - and those two terminate within the development.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by officedweller

If they hide it behind retail or townhouses, it wont look awful.
Think typical Richmond projects or Dolce Vita in downtown Vancouver.

A Texas wrap could work here.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

A Texas wrap could work here.

This?


https://www.base-4.com/podiums-vs-wraps-which-to-choose/

Podiums vs. Wraps | Which to choose?
https://www.base-4.com/podiums-vs-wraps-which-to-choose/

[jollyburger]

They hinted it would be wrapped in retail/townhouses.

January 2025

Jones says Wesgroup has also been talking to local governments about above-grade parkades that would be similarly wrapped with residential or retail.

"What we've discovered as we've been going down this path is there's a massive reduction in carbon," Jones said. "If we were to not build that cut-off wall and not excavate a parkade that's four or five storeys deep, it actually works out to be like a 40% reduction in carbon in the building. The cut-off wall is using five Olympic swimming pools of concrete, by volume, and a whole bunch of steel, and 3,000 to 4,000 dump-truck trips for the excavation. It's really expensive and it's really carbon-intensive. If we didn't have to do that, we'd also save likely a year on construction time, so that's a year that housing gets built faster and it's a year of less staff, construction, interest on our loans, and neighbourhood disruption. The cost saving is really really significant."

https://storeys.com/metro-vancouver-residential-parking-development-costs/

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by officedweller

This?


https://www.base-4.com/podiums-vs-wraps-which-to-choose/

Yep, exactly.

[Lexus]

2025, Sep 8

Harlin
(Parcel 29)

Untitled by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

Energy district nearly completed:

Untitled by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

Untitled by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

[jollyburger]

Lake Ardea will live on for a while.

Vancouver developer cancels ‘no longer viable’ luxury condo project
The developer responsible for Vancouver’s River District – a 130-acre master planned community along the banks of the Fraser River in the city’s southeast corner – has cancelled a major component of the plan.

The 204-unit Ardea project, described in a 2023 sponsored content piece in the Vancouver Sun as “a luxury oasis on the waterfront,” is no more.

“Wesgroup has made the difficult decision to cancel our Ardea project at River District,” a spokesperson for the developer said in an email to CTV News on Tuesday.

“Ardea was envisioned as a landmark waterfront community, but higher-than-anticipated construction and delivery costs specific to this project mean that it is no longer viable for us to move forward.”

Wesgroup stressed that it remains “financially strong” and is working to complete more than 2,000 homes it currently has under construction in the River District and elsewhere.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article...s-no-longer-viable-luxury-condo-project/

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Lake Ardea will live on for a while.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article...s-no-longer-viable-luxury-condo-project/

This is the one - nothing massive.
They'd probably come back with something taller when they do end up building.

Ardea


https://riverdistricthomes.com/building/ardea-river-district/

[jollyburger]

And they were laying off 12% of their staff in June

“Due to the unprecedented and compounding challenges facing the real estate industry, including prolonged economic uncertainty, the rising cost of delivering housing and a deeply stalled condo market, we … were faced with the extremely difficult decision to reduce the size of our team,” Beau Jarvis wrote in a public LinkedIn post on June 19.

Jarvis said economic realities “left us no choice,” calling the move a “last resort” that followed attempts to reduce costs in other ways.

“Housing projects across the country are being cancelled or delayed because they are no longer viable. Moreover, we are delivering housing at a cost that people cannot afford to purchase. I will say it again – This is a COST-OF-DELIVERY CRISIS,” Jarvis wrote.

In a Thursday statement, Wesgroup confirmed it is delaying "a number of upcoming projects" and reducing the size of its team "for long-term sustainability," but declined to provide details about the number of layoffs, the departments affected or the company's size.

https://www.biv.com/news/real-estate/lay...-vancouver-condo-industrys-woes-10838462

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Lake Ardea will live on for a while.

How long ago did Wesgroup acquire the land?

[jollyburger]

2002

ParkLane Homes and Wesgroup Properties acquired the former Canadian White Pine Mill site, one of the first sawmills in Western Canada, for the East Fraserlands development in Vancouver which is now known as the River District. The 129 acres of industrial land will eventually become a predominantly residential community with housing, a commercial centre, a community centre, schools, a riverfront walk and many other public amenities. ParkLane has been building homes in over 100 communities since 1980. Wesgroup is a family-owned real estate owner and developer with commercial, industrial and mixed-use projects located throughout Western Canada. Fasken Martineau represented ParkLane Homes and Wesgroup Propoerties on the acquisition, and continues to act in relation to remediation, rezoning and development of the property, with a team that includes Barbara Vanderburgh (Real Estate), Paul Wilson (Environmental) and Sarah Batut (Real Estate).

https://www.fasken.com/en/experience/201...the-former-canadian-white-pine-mill-site

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

2002



https://www.fasken.com/en/experience/201...the-former-canadian-white-pine-mill-site

So far enough back that the land costs would have been reasonable (by Vancouver standards). So the increase in costs they refer to are all materials? or materials and labour?

[cganuelas1995]

How far along is Parcel 29? I got assigned that jobsite when I finish school

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

How far along is Parcel 29? I got assigned that jobsite when I finish school

There's a photo of the pit (Harlin) a few posts above.