102 social housing units proposed near Joyce-Collingwood Station
A new development application has been submitted to turn a vacant lot at the southwest corner of the intersection of Vanness Avenue and McHardy Street into a six-storey social housing building.
The site at 3279-3297 Vanness Avenue is just one short city block west of SkyTrain’s Joyce-Collingwood Station and the R4 RapidBus. The SkyTrain elevated guideway runs parallel to the south side of the property line.
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The application was submitted by New Commons Development, on behalf of the City of Vancouver’s Affordable Housing Agency and Community Land Trust. The proposal’s rezoning was approved by the city council in October 2019, and construction will be partially funded by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Site of 3279-3297 Vanness Avenue, Vancouver. (Google Maps)
Site of 3279-3297 Vanness Avenue, Vancouver. (Google Maps)
There will be a total of 102 social housing units, with a unit mix of 52 studios, 13 one-bedroom units, 26 two-bedroom units, and 11 three-bedroom units.
Residents will have 1,300 sq ft of indoor amenity space on the main level and fourth level, which is one of the entry points onto the outdoor amenity space on the rooftop.
Homes on the ground level open directly onto a courtyard through patio spaces.
Artistic rendering of 3279-3297 Vanness Avenue, Vancouver. (ZGF Architects/New Commons Development/Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency/Community Land Trust)
Artistic rendering of 3279-3297 Vanness Avenue, Vancouver. (ZGF Architects/New Commons Development/Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency/Community Land Trust)
“The building emerges from the ground as an L-shaped mass with brick and panelling anchoring it to the ground. The mass of the main volume is broken down very simply by using different textures and tones,” reads the design rationale by ZGF Architects.
“A lighter tone book-ends the main volume emphasizing the entrance at McHardy and the lane and the west end of the six storey main volume, where it meets existing adjacent single family homes.”
McHardy Street on the east side of the property is currently only a narrow pedestrian pathway that connects the north portion of the street to Vanness Avenue on the south side of the guideway. This footpath will be upgraded and widened to a full bike and pedestrian pathway.
Artistic rendering of 3279-3297 Vanness Avenue, Vancouver. (ZGF Architects/New Commons Development/Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency/Community Land Trust)
A single underground level will accommodate 27 vehicle parking stalls and 173 bike parking spaces.
The building’s total floor area is 80,459 sq ft, creating a floor space ratio density of 3.28 times the size of the 22,900-sq-ft lot.
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