Sean Wardell's
Official Blog










Lower Lonsdale Neighbourhood
Development Guide

Here is a quick look at the meat & potato's of what is going on in Lower Lonsdale in terms of existing and future development.

Quite frankly the City of North Vancouver's web site (www.cnv.org) is so poorly produced it is difficult to sift through it to find the interesting bits. Some of their links don't work, many pages are old & very little is dated so it's hard to tell what's current .

This is a short page with links to that site, to what I feel is important. After all it's my blog.

I used this glossy brochure quite a few years ago to explain to my clients what Lower Lonsdale would look like after all the building was complete. It doesn't look to have changed much.

Use the zoom out control on Acrobat Reader to get a better look at the pictures and buildings.



 

Click to open the PDF

( 309Kb PDF - click the rollover)

This guide was written (or updated) back in 2004.

This is the most information available from N.V. City in regards to Lower Lonsdale. Primarily the Pier.

Note the future building on the parking lot north of the Quay. Most people overlook this potential view blocker.

 

Supplement to the guide - click to download

(200kb PDF - Supplement to the City's Guide)
This gives all of the current building heights.

 

 

Here are newer pictures taken at the Pier's display building on August 12th, 2007

click to open a larger version. Updated on February 10th, 2008

 

These models of "The Pier" development and waterfront plan is the most accurate to date. If you compare the model to some of the current look pictures I've included you will understand where everything is located. Essentially, looking at the first model picture on the left just remember the hotel is on the south east corner of Esplanade & Lonsdale. The second model picture would be looking south from the lane just north of Esplanade.

Click the picture to view larger versions.

Click here for a larger version of this picture
Click here for a larger version of this picture
 

 
Click here to compare current view pictures to the Pinnacle model


Here are some great photos of the soon to be built hotel. I've labeled some of the streets in yellow.

Click the photos for larger pictures.

Click here for a larger picture
Click here for a larger picture
Click here for a larger picture
Click here for a larger picture

 

These are pictures I took of the City's model on March 8th, 2007

(sorry about the quality I used a little 2.0 mega pixel camera)
Click to open a larger version.

 

 

 

 

 

The picture of what appears to be the model on the left is the retail / office / live work building being built by Pinnacle as part of the Pier project on the N.E. corner of Lonsdale & Esplanade.

The rendering on the right is the hotel. These images came off Pinnacle's web site.

 

N.E. corner of Esplanade & Lonsdale

 

S.E. corner Esplanade & Lonsdale

 
Recently re-zoned 50% residential, 18% live-work
and 32% commercial. It's 60 ft high meaning 6
stories.
A good rendering of the upcoming Hotel. This is to begin construction next. It will be approx. 11 stories
& is across the street on the S.E. corner.

 

 

Ventana - 2nd & Chesterfield

Intracorp's "Ventana" - Approx. 13 stories and 94 suites on the S.E. corner of 2nd & Chesterfield. Just north of One Park Lane & west of Sky.

From what I saw on the Web Site the interior finishing looks very nice. Intracorp also looks to be very busy here in North Van when you include the "Vista".

 

Wedgewood Ventures Ltd. "Envy" - Approx. 7 stories at 160 West 3rd St. to the immediate east of the 7-11. I understand the Eagles Club be moving back into the main floor. I read in the North Shore News quite a while back that the strata would have a by-law banning smoking on balconies. I wonder if this applies to the Eagles Club too?

This building will really help to improve the corner of 3rd & Chesterfield which can still be a little rough.

Envy - 3rd & Chesterfield

 

 

Here's a quick map I've made showing the location of these buildings for anyone not really familiar with Lower Lonsdale.

I had to make it fairly large to show the building numbers and streets around these developments any smaller and it would be too small to read.

You can download the above & below PDFs for maps showing the Pier and other projects.

The hideous dirt lot at 83 Chesterfield is for sale. This is directly north across the lane from the movie theater. Proposed 7 stories commercial / residential with 3 levels of underground parking.
Asking approx. 2,980,000
83 Chesterfield Ave., North Vancouver

 

Proposed - National Maritime Centre for the Pacific and the Arctic

 

Download the complete PDF
Download the complete PDF

 

Click one of the above images to download the 31 page 7,831 KB colour PDF titled:
"Town Hall Meeting, City of North Vancouver May 25th, 2006"


Click here for a link to the "Waterfront Project" page at the City.

 

 

Potential View Corridors East of Lonsdale

Click to open a larger version.


 

Looking north from east Esplanade
with The Pier in the foreground.

 

A good look at the currently "on hold" Site 10 and Site 12 on east 1st.

 

Looking east at Site 10. This plan shows it being built on the City's parking lot.

 

Looking southbound with the Olympic on the right. This is the real view corridor.

 

The City currently has Sites 10 & 12 on hold purportedly due to over work. However, based on their previous decisions this could very well be what it will look like.

I feel strongly that they will build on the parking lot so if any changes were to be made it would probably be eliminating site 12 and increasing the height of site 10 which I would agree with. I always felt "Time" should have been one tall tower instead of two medium sized view blockers.

The above is only speculation I have know idea what the City may due.

 

 

Everything You Need to Know About Site 8

(Site 8 is the parking lot directly to the north of the front doors of the Lonsdale Quay Market - as well as some shops facing W. Esplanade - ie. Starbucks)
Click here to go to the City's web page.
Click here to go to the City's web page.
Click here to go to the City's web page.
Click here to go to the City's web page.
Click here to go to the City's web page.
Click here to go to the City's web page.

Click to enlarge

(Please note, these renderings, shown above, are now out of date due to the abandonment of this proposal by Millennium)
 
 

NEW - At their March 3, 2008 meeting, Council adopted the following staff recommendation:

 

PURSUANT to the report of the Deputy Director, Community Development, dated February 27, 2008, entitled "Official Community Plan and Rezoning Application for Site 8 and The Foot of Lonsdale (Millennium Developments/Henriquez Partners Architects) Next Steps":

THAT the October 15, 2007 authority for Millennium Development to be an applicant for the City's lands at the Foot of Lonsdale and Site 8 be withdrawn and the application be terminated (Option A of the February 27, 2008 report);

AND THAT Planning staff be requested to bring these sites forward for consideration of inclusion in their 2009 Work Program. This means that the application process for Site 8 and the Foot of Lonsdale being led by Millennium Developments / Henriquez Partners has been terminated. The future of these sites will be reconsidered at a later date through a municipal led process. This may occur in 2009. The City wishes to thank those who took the time to participate in this discussion, both for and against the Millennium proposal. Input from this process will be factored into future considerations.

NEW - " The applicants, Millennium Development, and the City have received considerable input on this application since it was referred to the public last fall. As a result of public concerns over the height of the proposed 410 ft tower, Millennium has decided to amend their application and they are no longer pursuing that option.

Millennium is currently investigating alternative development options for a lower building that takes into account a variety of factors including site constraints, market feasibility and City needs/aspirations for both Site 8 & the Foot of Lonsdale. This includes a reconsideration of possible public amenities and future phasing.

This new information being prepared by Millennium will be assessed by staff and presented to Council for preliminary consideration in March. At that time, Council will decide how to process this revised application. Any further consideration of a new proposal would be referred to a new public process for further input.

A recent Information Report presents the latest status of this application. Both the City and applicant appreciate people having taken the time to provide input. " - Quoted directly from the City of North Vancouver Web Page.


" The City of North Vancouver has received a combined Official Community Plan (OCP) Amendment and Rezoning application for the Foot of Lonsdale Avenue and 119, 127 and 131 West Esplanade/120 Carrie Cates Court (known as Site 8).

The application proposes to revitalize the Foot of Lonsdale with new waterfront access, public pier, floating public swimming pool, streetcar stationary display, commercial uses and a new location for the Presentation House Gallery. The density to be applied to this site is 2.6 FSR with a limited amount to be built on-site and the remainder to be transferred to Site 8.

Site 8 would be developed with a new mixed use building at 2.6 FSR plus the transferred density from the Ft. of Lonsdale. The new building would include 65,000 sq ft of retail/office space and 245,000 sq.ft. of residential space (total 310,000 sq.ft.). This is proposed to include a 36 storey landmark building designed to serve as a marker for the Lonsdale Town Centre. The building height requires an OCP amendment. " - Quoted directly from the City of North Vancouver Web Page.

Don't forget to download the PDF's they are really awesome. I want the top floor, 2 level, south facing penthouse!

 

This is the view from the 27th floor of "The Observatory". I listed and sold this suite a couple of years ago. Sorry for the not so great quality of the pictures but I was in a hurry to get an ad out that day & the sun was in my face.

 

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"The Observatory"

North west view

North east view