The fourth and final phase of Onni’s Golden Ears Business Park will be a single 80,000 square metre building, and Pitt Meadows city councillors say its design is an improvement on the first two phases.
Councillors reviewed plans for phase four of the industrial park, and allowed the public to ask questions, at a March 30 meeting of the Engagement and Priorities Committee.
“From where we started, to where we are today, after what we inherited, the project that we’re looking at now is a massive, massive improvement over what it could have been” said Coun. Bob Meachen, who chaired the meeting.
He was a council representative on the city’s advisory design panel. Most of the group’s suggestions regarding form, character and other issues were incorporated by Onni in the building design.
The building will have tilt-up concrete panels with architectural treatments such as faux wood, some ground-floor glazing, more variety in colours, recessed entries with canopies and maximum building height of 12 metres. There will be green space buffers and landscaping around the perimeter.
The first two phases of Onni’s business park are built and businesses have moved in. Phase three has an approved development permit from the city, and some building permits. Phase four is at the stage of development permit application. A building permit would follow the development permit stage.
Phase three will be three separate buildings, but the fourth phase will be a single building with 864,000 square feet of industrial warehouse space and offices.
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Eric Hughes, vice president of development with Onni, attended the Zoom meeting. He noted there will be a berm, 2.7 metres high, on the east and southern borders of the property, with plantings to create a barrier between the industrial park and its residential neighbours.
“The tenants we have been speaking with are definitely aware of being a good neighbour, and the concerns about noise, which is one of the key reasons we located all the loading on the west side of the building,” Hughes said.
Among the public questions was the openness of the parking lots, and a caller noted young people drive recklessly there, as they “race around and do donuts.”
Hughes answered that there will be speed bumps installed in the earlier phases and some traffic calming measures in the last two phases.
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There were also public concerns about pedestrian safety. City staff noted there will be new sidewalks in the area, and roundabouts on Airport Way will be converted to signalized crossings. The city will consider reducing the speed limit below the current 60 km/h on Airport Way.
The public asked if there will be retail stores, including coffee shops, as allowed in the zoning. Hughes responded it will depend on the tenants, but it would most likely be in phase three.
Onni will own the entire business park, and lease the space.
The meeting was strictly for public engagement, and the development permit still needs council approval.
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