Maple Ridge council will be considering the merits of what would be the tallest building in the city, and one of the tallest in Metro Vancouver.
A 35-storey highrise on Brown Avenue is on council’s agenda. It would be approximately three times taller than other towers in the town centre area.
Council will consider first reading of a rezoning to allow the proposed 244-unit development, which would have 34 storeys plus a 35th as a rooftop deck.
There would be four levels of parking with four adjacent townhouse units, then 30 floors containing 240 apartment units.
Mayor Nicole Read called it an interesting project, and a sign that Maple Ridge is seen by the development community as a good investment.
“It’s symbolic that we’ve tipped a point in Maple Ridge, where people are willing to build a building of that size here,” said Read.
Asked if she thought it would “stick out,” in downtown Maple Ridge, Read agreed.
“It sure would. So there are a lot of considerations.”
The Baptist Housing Society Tower, at 222nd Street and Lougheed Highway, is 13 storeys, while the Maple Tower, at 11841 – 222nd St,. and the Gordon Tower, at 11980 – 222nd St., are both 12 storeys.
There are taller buildings in the Fraser Valley, such as Pinetree Way in Coquitlam which is 48 floors, and Surrey’s 3 Civic Plaza is more than 50 storeys tall.
In addition to the four above-ground levels of parking, there would also be two underground levels for parking, with 306 stalls total.
The lots involved are at 22576, 22588 and 22596 Brown Avenue, combining for a 0.239 hectare site (0.59 acres). These include a downtown parking lot, and the two residential lots immediately east of it. It would be the most dense development in the city.
The developer proposes 60 one-bedroom units, 158 two-bedroom units and 22 three-bedroom apartments.
A city staff report says the tower would be home to 366 to 488 people.
Staff says the project would need to be studied for its impact on the road network, fire protection, schools in the area, parks and rec facilities and the residential housing market.
The amenity contribution to the city would be $760,000.
“This application represents a significant redevelopment proposal for the Town Centre Area, which will have many benefits for the city in establishing its downtown and potentially some challenges to overcome,” says the report from the planning department.
“As currently presented, this would be the tallest and most dense development proposal submitted to the city for consideration. As such, special attention must be given to the streetscape precedent this would set and on the ‘landmark’ potential of this structure to the urban fabric of the city.”
