Here’s what’s happening at Burnaby’s April 25 council meeting

It’s about that time, folks–the city council agenda for Burnaby’s April 25 meeting has been released, and here’s what we at the Beacon will be keeping an eye out for on Monday night!

Rental obligation transfer

This item has to do with a project at Austin Rd and Gatineau Place, in the Lougheed neighbourhood, that’s slated for a high-density mixed use development including three residential towers.

But the project has run into several problems with the city’s rental use zoning policy, which stipulates that 20% of units in new multi-family housing developments must be below-market rentals.

First, developer Pinnacle International says it can’t accommodate the density associated with those additional below-market units at the site itself with its approved density allocation.

“Second, the British Columbia Transportation and Finance Authority (BCTFA) informed the applicant and the city that the province would not permit any encumbrances over adjacent provincial-owned land, which had a significant impact on the siting of one of the Austin-Gatineau site’s towers identified in the master plan,” a report from the planning and development committee reads.

In order to continue the Austin-Gatineau project, Pinnacle has come up with what the report calls an “innovative” solution—transfer some of its inclusionary rental requirements to another of its developments, 3846 Carrigan Ct.

“The proposed development concept is in alignment with the Lougheed town centre plan, and is compatible with surrounding development. Overall, the proposal is anticipated to deliver a total of 2,828 market strata units and 546 non-market rental units across the two sites,” the report reads.

The Carrigan Ct site is currently a 1970-built complex with 141 rental units, and the report notes that the residents of those units would qualify for the tenant assistance policy until their replacement units are completed.

The planning committee says that the proposal will deliver high quality rental units in line with the Lougheed town centre community plan.

Concord Brentwood

Developer Concord Pacific is planning a set of highrises in the already booming Brentwood area that would include just over 2,000 new units—254 of which would be non-market rentals, in accordance with the rental use zoning policy, and 401 of which would be adaptable.

A planning committee report says the development will include a variety of different unit sizes and tenures to accommodate people with different income levels and of different age cohorts—meaning that some of the one-bedroom units will be around the minimum size required (538 sq ft).

“It is intended that the overall project would accommodate a broader spectrum of housing needs. … Smaller one bedroom units are intended to provide a level of affordability for new home ownership, providing access to the market for first time home buyers,” the report to council reads.

“To offset the number of smaller one-bedroom units, a commensurate number of larger two bedroom and den, and three bedroom units are proposed.”

Planning and development general manager Ed Kozak called the proposal one of “exceptional urban design” that meets the standards and density of nearby buildings in Brentwood town centre.

If council authorizes it, the matter will be forwarded to a public hearing at the end of May.