369 homes and 200-room hotel proposed next to Richmond Olympic Oval

Artistic rendering of 6851-6871 Elmbridge Way in the Oval Village of Richmond. (Arno Matis Architecture/Landa Global Properties)

A major mixed-use development that includes a hotel is proposed for a site immediately south of the main entrance into Richmond Olympic Oval.

Landa Global Properties has submitted a development application to redevelop 6851-6871 Elmbridge Way, which is a 3.4-acre site acquired by the developer in Fall 2019.

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The lot is currently occupied by warehouse buildings with tenants such as Gum Ying Richmond Archery Club, Top Level Performance Institute, and Complex Hockey Training.

6851-6871 Elmbridge Way Richmond Landa Global Properties

Site of 6851-6871 Elmbridge Way in the Oval Village of Richmond. (Google Maps)

Site of 6851-6871 Elmbridge Way in the Oval Village of Richmond. (Arno Matis Architecture/Landa Global Properties)

Jointly designed by local firms Arno Matis Architecture and Rafii Architects and Toronto-based Studio Munge, the proposal envisions building heights of up to 15 storeys, including a five-storey podium. There would be three towers — two residential towers on the west side facing a future new public road, and a hotel tower on the east side facing what is currently a laneway.

A total of 369 homes are planned, including 333 condominiums and 36 rental homes. The unit mix is 124 one-bedroom units, 48 one-bedroom units with a den, 76 two-bedroom junior units, 74 two-bedroom units, 44 two-bedroom units with a den, and three three-bedroom units.

Some of these homes will be located on the perimeter of the podium’s levels above ground, enclosing five parking levels — with 756 vehicle stalls and 502 bike parking spaces — in the core of the building complex.

Layout of 6851-6871 Elmbridge Way in the Oval Village of Richmond. (Arno Matis Architecture/Landa Global Properties)

Artistic rendering of 6851-6871 Elmbridge Way in the Oval Village of Richmond. (Arno Matis Architecture/Landa Global Properties)

The hotel contains 200 guest rooms, and ballroom, meeting, and dedicated restaurant spaces over its floors within the podium. A hotel operator will be confirmed soon.

Hotel rooms and condominiums will feature large outdoor living spaces and balconies, and residents will also have access to a vast park-like outdoor amenity space on the podium rooftop.

An elaborate clubhouse amenity for hotel guests and residents that will look and feel like a country club is planned, with design elements influenced by high-end Asian hotels. Studio Munge, which designed the Rosewood Hotel Georgia and JW Marriott Parq Vancouver, is behind the interior design of the hotel component.

“Our contemporary interiors will be thoughtfully connected to the outside framing beautiful views over the landscaped podium, mountains and ocean. Resort-like, the guest journey will be curated with high-impact, memorable design moments complemented with all the elegant and purposeful details that bring a building to life,” said Alessandro Munge, founder and design director of Studio Munge, in a statement.

“A great sense of materiality, dynamic forms, and luxury in the execution of our details will give this Richmond Oval development a unique identity, making the vibrant property a destination like no other in the area.”

Artistic rendering of 6851-6871 Elmbridge Way in the Oval Village of Richmond. (Arno Matis Architecture/Landa Global Properties)

The new streets and plazas created by the development will be activated by 17,300 sq ft of retail and restaurant space on the ground level, wrapping the building along River Road, Elmbridge Way, and the future new street to the west, which is designated by the city as a continuous retail promenade leading to the oval. The hotel lobby is at the northeast corner of the building.

According to the developer, this proposal builds on the success of their other major project in the Oval Village, called Cascade City — a two-tower residential development, also designed by Arno Matis, that will reach completion this summer.

Artistic rendering of 6851-6871 Elmbridge Way in the Oval Village of Richmond. (Arno Matis Architecture/Landa Global Properties)

The overall form of the proposed complex is inspired by Richmond’s waving topography on the low tidal flats of river water.

“These curving, undulating mid-rise forms provide an architectural punctuation in the skyline: a bold form that hopes to inspire and add to a ‘signature’ Richmond style,” reads the design rationale by Arno Matis.

“The proposal’s massing is divided into a series of clearly defined horizontal layers. Much like sand patterns found at low-tide, the vertical and horizontal components of the proposed structure are distinctly articulated through the use of varying materials and detailing. The most prominent expression of this layering are the podium frames, capping the end of each building to emphasis each ‘ripple’ terminus.”

The total floor area of the redevelopment is 831,441 sq ft, including 132,200 sq ft for the hotel component. The floor area ratio density is a floor area that is three times larger than the size of the lot.

Artistic rendering of 6851-6871 Elmbridge Way in the Oval Village of Richmond. (Arno Matis Architecture/Landa Global Properties)

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