City of North Vancouver Approves New Rental Apartment Development

Another mid-rise building could soon be underway in the City of North Vancouver, bringing 76 rental apartment units to Lower Lonsdale.

In a Jan. 27 meeting, CNV council unanimously approved a proposal from Anthem Properties for a six-storey building at 146-160 East Second Street. The building would replace a vacant, two-storey commercial building that was built in 1980.

All councillors spoke in favour of the proposal, with some saying the building is in a good location near amenities like transit and addresses housing needs.

Coun. Shervin Shahriari expressed support for the project, saying the rentals will offer more housing.

Overall I am happy with this application ... we do need the housing, it's all rentals, so I appreciate that, Shahriari said.

The ground floor will be dedicated to five units (571 square meters) of commercial space, while the remaining five floors will be used for the 76 rental apartment units, eight of which will be mid-market rentals.

The proposal includes 41 studio apartments, six one-bedroom units, 21 two-bedroom units and eight three-bedroom units. It also proposes two levels of underground parking, offering 62 car spaces, with 48 spaces for residents, and 190 spaces for bike parking.

No public hearing was held for the new building as it falls under provincial rules allowing councils to go without if the proposal follows an official community plan.

The design includes a mid-block pedestrian connection linking Second Street to Third Street where multiple bus stops are located. Shahriari asked if the proposed mid-block pedestrian connection near the building will fit accessibility needs, as there will be stairs.

Staff said during the meeting stairs would be the best option for pedestrian movement due to sloping in the area. A spokesperson from the city said another limitation is the small size of the current site, so staff are assessing additional accessibility options with Anthem.

Coun. Tony Valente echoed support of the project and Shahriari's comment about accessibility on the mid-block connector.

I really appreciate those connectors, I think they're really important, Valente said. Especially as the city develops, if you eventually have a RapidBus route on Third, you get kinda these sections at a time, but they do end up being something useful when they connect.

Coun. Holly Back said she is happy to see the vacant building finally getting redone as there is a huge need for more retail space in the area.

I spent about 15 years with my business in that building, so I'm very happy to see that it's finally getting redone, Back said, adding the area is close to transit and the Shipyards.

Mayor Linda Buchanan said she also fully supports the project, and any time the city can get mid-market units through developments is a good thing.

Final adoption of the proposal will be brought back to council on the consent agenda in the coming months, a CNV spokesperson said.

Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.