Homes for 7,000 people, retail district proposed below Cypress Mountain (RENDERINGS)

Conceptual artistic rendering of Cypress Village. (District of West Vancouver)

There could be a new high-density neighbourhood with a major retail village along Cypress Bowl Road — the route ascending to Cypress Mountain ski resort.

The District of West Vancouver has entered a new phase of consultation on the refined concept for Cypress Village, located in a southeast parcel of the Upper Lands of the municipality.

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A proposed master plan for about 3,700 residential units — up from the previous concept for 3,500 units — would allow for a total residential population of approximately 7,000 people at full-buildout by around 2045, achieved through multiple phases.

This includes about 250 single-family dwellings, 200 townhomes, and 3,300 apartment units, including 180 affordable rental apartment units, 550 market rental apartment units, and 2,580 condominiums.

These homes would be built in a mix of low-rise and mid-rise buildings, as well as taller buildings between 15 storeys and 25 storeys.

Conceptual artistic rendering of Cypress Village. (District of West Vancouver)

Concept plan for Cypress Village. (District of West Vancouver)

Conceptual artistic rendering of Cypress Village. (District of West Vancouver)

Such a level of density, achieved through height, is necessary to transfer the urban development potential of the 262 acres of the Eagleridge lands owned by British Pacific Properties (BPP) to Cypress Village. The Eagleridge lands further to the west, close to Horseshoe Bay, would instead be protected as a natural area for recreation and conservation, instead of the construction of a new single-family neighbourhood. Cypress Village, in effect, serves to limit suburban sprawl by being more compact.

The municipal government has indicated that its large district works yard site on Cypress Bowl Road, immediately east of Cypress Village, will not be included in the development plans, but a fire hall could be added on the site.

The developable density of the Eagleridge and Intercreek lands owned by the British Pacific Properties would be transferred to Cypress Village, allowing for Eagleridge and Intercreek to be protected as a natural area. (District of West Vancouver)

Conceptual artistic rendering of Cypress Village. (District of West Vancouver)

Residents of Cypress Village would be served by a significant pedestrian-oriented retail village with between 100,000 sq ft and 135,000 sq ft of neighbourhood-serving commercial uses, such as a grocery store, pharmacy, coffee shops, restaurants, medical clinics, banks, fitness gyms, and other basic services intended to reduce the volume of vehicle traffic generated out of the neighbourhood.

This village core could potentially also include an office building or a small hotel, given its close proximity to the ski resort.

A new 24,000 sq ft community centre at Cypress Village would be funded by BPP and operated by the municipal government. There would be a gymnasium, fitness centre, multipurpose rooms, and possibly a public library branch.

The community centre, proposed at a location near the village core and McGavin Field, would also have outdoor recreational facilities. It is also planned as an integral component for a public school, with the initial construction of a Kindergarten to Grade 3 elementary annex when there is sufficient enrolment. Eventually, as enrolment increases, a further expansion to the community centre could accommodate a larger elementary school for students through Grade 7.

Conceptual artistic rendering of Cypress Village. (District of West Vancouver)

Multi-purpose pathways for pedestrians, cyclists, and rollerbladers are envisioned for Cypress Village, with consideration for designing pathways with gentler, user-friendly grades — accomplished in some cases by building elevated pathways. As well, new connections would be established to the mountain trail networks.

The central area of Cypress Village is proposed to contain about two-thirds of the housing units, where the terrain is flat or has gentle grades, and where walking distances to the retail district are 400 metres or less.

Vehicle access to Cypress Village from Cypress Bowl Road will be improved, and a third road access will be constructed from Upper Levels Highway’s Westmount Road Interchange. Cypress Bowl Road could potentially see an on-street bike lane or shoulder for cyclists to improve safety and mode separation on this increasingly important roadway.

For public transit services, BPP will privately operate and fund a bus service under TransLink’s Independent Transit Service framework, until passenger volumes are high enough for the service to be taken over by the public transit authority.

This private transit bus service connects the Cypress Village and Rodgers Creek neighbourhoods to TransLink’s Park Royal transit hub via the Upper Levels Highway.

Road network and bus transit route plan for Cypress Village. (District of West Vancouver)

Conceptual artistic rendering of Cypress Village. (District of West Vancouver)

Traffic modelling for the morning peak hour shows that upon full buildout, 55% of all trips leaving Cypress Village will be by car, about 20% by public transit, and roughly 25% will be trips that stay within Cypress Village. About 100 cars originating from Cypress Village will cross over the Lions Gate Bridge, and 70 cars will use the Second Narrows Bridge, while the remaining 330 cars will be distributed across the North Shore. By 2043, Cypress Village would account for 1% of the total traffic on the North Shore’s arterial road network.

Early last year, the developer of the separate nine-acre Wentworth Lands development proposed setting aside a right-of-way for a future potential gondola public transit line from near the intersection of Marine Drive and 25th Street to Cypress Bowl Road Highview Lookout, which could potentially serve some of BPP’s Upper Lands populations. But a revised proposal for the Wentworth Lands removed any potential for a gondola.

Perspective of Cypress Village. (District of West Vancouver)

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