A development company whose condo proposal for Chinatown was rejected by city council in June will have to wait until next week to see if it gets the green light to proceed with a revised nine-storey version of its project.
The city’s development permit board heard from dozens of speakers late into Monday night and postponed a decision on Beedie Development Group’s application for 105 Keefer St. until Nov. 6. Beedie wants to build 111 apartments on the property that is adjacent to the Chinatown Memorial Plaza and across the street from Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden.
Beedie got a second chance to go before the city because it reduced the height of its original 12-storey proposal at 118 feet to 90 feet, which is allowed under the city’s current policies and doesn’t require a rezoning or public hearing.
The original proposal called for 25 apartments of social housing for seniors, although only three would be available at welfare rates. Beedie promised the 25 units after negotiating a deal with B.C. Housing to pay for it. That deal does not apply to the revised proposal.
Monday’s meeting occurred four days after the city posted a memo on its website saying senior staff and members of B.C. Housing met with Beedie in an attempt to negotiate a land swap or outright purchase of the Keefer Street property. City staff said in May the property was worth at least $22 million.
“Beedie was an active and willing participant in this discussion,” wrote Gil Kelley, the city’s general manager of planning, in the Oct. 27 memo to city staff. “Unfortunately, the parties were unable to reach an agreement on any option.”
The permit board, which is comprised of four city senior staff including Kelley, heard from many of the speakers who spoke to council in May and June during the public hearing for Beedie’s original proposal. More than 100 were registered to speak. Many called for social housing on the property during the public hearing and made that clear again Monday.
In June, council rejected Beedie’s proposal by a vote of 8-3. Mayor Gregor Robertson and seven councillors raised various concerns, saying the building’s design was too bulky and would block views and cast shadows on neighbouring Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden. The building wouldn’t preserve the heritage and cultural character of Chinatown, and there wasn’t enough social housing in the plan, they said.
Along with reducing the height of the building, Beedie’s revised proposal sets back the eighth and ninth floors of the design so that it appears less bulky and doesn’t cast shadows on the garden. A community cultural space remains from the original design, as do narrow retail shops at ground level to keep with Chinatown’s character of shops and restaurants. The pedestrian space around the Chinatown Memorial Plaza will also be increased by 26 per cent.
The building will include a large vertical neon sign and a pedestrian passageway from the main entrance of the building to a refurbished lane, which the proposal’s documents say “the intent is to animate the lane and stimulate positive social activity and events.” Beedie also promised to hire an art consultant to enhance the building.
Of the 111 apartments proposed in the development, there will be 38 studios, 30 one-bedrooms, 34 two-bedrooms and nine three bedrooms. The proposal does not estimate what it will cost to buy an apartment in the building.
