Rize Alliance has substantially changed its controversial project at the corner of Kingsway Avenue and East Broadway to appease critics but so far its moves have been unsuccessful.
Rize vice-president of development Chris Vollan told Business in Vancouver July 17 that his company removed second-storey retail space "based on input from council and the community" and replaced it with residential units. The project now has 336 units, up from 241.
Removing that retail space enabled Rize to lower the height of four of the five buildings in the project.
Vollan's move has not appeased critics.
"This proposal represents a huge amount of extra density dropped in the middle of an established neighbourhood," blasted Residents Association Mount Pleasant President Stephen Bohus.
"It's windfall profits for a few and it is a net loss in livability for the community."
The project's tower is now proposed to be 22 storeys, instead of the former 19 storeys. The total height of the tower remains at 215 feet, Vollan stressed.
"We were able to slide three storeys in where the former high-level retail was," he said.
One of the other changes was to break apart the development into five separate buildings:
- the tower at the corner of Kingsway and East 10th Avenue;
- low- or mid-rise buildings with ground level retail on Kingsway Avenue, East Broadway and Watson Street; and
- townhomes on East 10th Avenue.
A loading bay has also been moved underground.
"Community input has had a huge impact on the final design," Vollan said.
Rize held an open house on the building's design yesterday, July 17, at St. Patrick's Church.
Its next step is to present the proposal to an urban design panel in August and the development permit board in September.
Vancouver city council will then vote on the final proposal.
If approved, pre-sales could launch in spring 2014 and ground could break in late spring 2014.
