Life begins anew on former industrial site
More than 7,000 homes will be constructed on 130 acres on former East Fraserlands
By Barbara Gunn, Vancouver Sun September 17, 2011
The River District Centre offers visitors information on the vision and development plans for the new community.
Photograph by: Les Bazso, Png, Vancouver Sun
Stroll along the wooden boardwalk that fronts the north side of the Fraser River at the foot of Kerr Street, and you'd scarcely be reminded of the area's gritty, industrial past.
Dog-walkers pause to rest on the benches and to watch the tugs chug along the water. Cyclists and joggers appear, then disappear beyond the trees and fields of wildflowers. Children race out to the pier or gambol on the wooden climbing structure, while their parents unload picnic fare on the grass outside Romer's Burger Bar.
For many years - decades, in fact - this was no picnic destination. Rather, it was home to sawmills such as the Canadian White Pine Mill, which, at its peak in 1968, shipped finished lumber to four continents, enough to build 21,000 homes a year.
In the years ahead, this neighbourhood - formerly called the East Fraserlands - will also speak to homes. More than 7,000, in fact, will be constructed on some 130 acres along the Fraser River south of Marine Way and between Kerr and Boundary Road, an undertaking from the award-winning ParkLane Homes that will represent one of the largest development projects in Vancouver over the next two decades.
This is the River District. When complete, 15 or 20 years down the road, the area will be a community in the truest sense of the word. A mix of residential towers, townhouses and low-to midrise structures will dot the riverside landscape. (ParkLane has partnered with Polygon Homes to build New Water, the site's first apartments.)
The official development plan approved unanimously by the City of Vancouver also includes park and retail space, a community centre, daycares and sites for both elementary and secondary schools.
As such, says ParkLane's chief operating officer Ben Taddei, the River District will represent a prime example of new urbanism: walkable neighbourhoods that have a mix of uses and housing, and include parks and public spaces.
It will be a neighbourhood, emphasizes Taddei, sure to appeal to a vast array of residents.
"Like every neighbourhood in Vancouver, it's a mixed bag," he notes. "There are singles, couples, families, downsizers, you name it. We expect that future phases of the development, which will include townhomes, will attract more families, making the River District a very family-friendly neighbourhood in the city."
He adds some 20 per cent of the residences - or 1,300 units - will be designated as social housing, meaning "the homes can be seniors' housing, affordable family housing or even market rental homes."
When the River District vision is realized, it will represent the culmination of years of a collaborative effort that involved multiple participants.
"When the sawmill closed down in 2001, there was much talk in the city as to what would happen with this last 130-acre piece of land in Vancouver," Taddei explains. "For ParkLane, it meant undertaking a collaborative development process with the city, the local community and numerous other stakeholders. We worked through countless workshops, public information meetings and design plans to arrive at the plan we have today. After eight years of planning and process, we are very proud to see it start coming to life."
And coming to life, it is. The homes on the River District property may not yet be built, but the neighbourhood is already bustling with people. The 6,000-squarefoot waterfront River District Centre, home to both Romer's Burger Bar and a presentation centre for the future project, is also a community centre of sorts, offering such things as drop-in yoga, book clubs and programming for young children.
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