Introduction
PCI Developments has received approval to construct twin 6-storey rental buildings at 3609-3687 Arbutus Street on the Arbutus Greenway. This project adheres to the City’s family housing requirements and is comprised of market and moderate income rental homes. Notably such moderate income rental housing could be suitable for community members like nurses, teachers, firefighters, police officers, grocery store clerks and more.
The site is bordered by Arbutus Street to the east, 20th Avenue to the north and 21st Avenue to the south. The project will increase secured housing supply with the creation of 116 new homes.
View from Arbutus to Northwest
Community Benefits
The project will benefit the community through the creation of 116 secured, high quality rental housing units with emphasis on family housing with over 35% (46 homes) two & three bedroom homes. Key benefits include:
Project Details
PCI Developments, in collaboration with BHA Architecture, have received approval from the City of Vancouver, under the Affordable Housing Choices Interim Rezoning Policy (2012, amended 2018), to construct purpose built rental buildings at 3609 – 3687 Arbutus Street, in an effort to support the City of Vancouver’s housing goals.
The project site is located on 33,000 square feet of land in Arbutus Ridge, currently hosting five single family residences that PCI has purchased.
The project includes 116 new homes (apartment and townhouse form) housed in twin, 6-story buildings with a central courtyard for residents. The proposal offers both market (92 suites) and moderate income rental homes (24 suites), over 35% of which will be designed as family-oriented homes (2-3 bedroom apartments and townhouses).
The official rezoning application page from the City of Vancouver can be found here.
The following is a detailed outline of the proposal:
Project Statistics | |
---|---|
Site Area | 33,000 sqft. (0.76 acres) |
Height | 6-storeys |
Density | 2.53 FSR |
Residential Breakdown | Total Units | Moderate Income Rental Homes | Market Homes |
---|---|---|---|
Total Homes | 116 (100%) | 24 homes | 92 homes |
3-Bedroom Apartments | 14 homes (12%) | 2 homes | 12 homes |
2-Bedroom Apartments | 32 homes (28%) | 7 homes | 25 homes |
1-Bedroom Apartments | 66 homes (57%) | 13 homes | 53 homes |
Studio Apartments | 4 homes (3%) | 2 homes | 2 homes |
Parking Breakdown | Total Spaces |
---|---|
Vehicle Parking | 74 spaces |
Bicycle Parking | 227 spaces |
The Moderate Income Rental is based on provisions of City of Vancouver’s Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program (MIRHPP)
FSR: Floor Space Ratio. Often called “density”, FSR is the number obtained by dividing the floor area of a building by its site area.
Policy
There is a strong demand for rental housing across the City of Vancouver, as evidenced by the 1% vacancy rate in Vancouver and the 1.1% vacancy rate of the Westside/Kerrisdale neighbourhoods (Source: 2019 CMHC Rental Market Report for Metro Vancouver). In Arbutus Ridge, only approximately 20% of housing is secured as rental (Source: CMHC Housing Vancouver Strategy Annual Progress Report and Data Book 2018).
The proposal responds to the City of Vancouver’s housing goals to: “create 20,000 new market rental units by 2027” and the goal that “50% of new homes will serve households earning less than $80,000” Source: City of Vancouver
This application has been approved under the Affordable Housing Choices Interim Rezoning Policy (2012, amended 2018) and supports the objectives of the Moderate Income Rental Housing Rental Housing Pilot Program (2017). The City of Vancouver defines moderate income as households earning between $30,000 and $80,000 annually. Beneficiaries of this program include health care providers, teachers, firefighters, police officers, grocery store clerks and more. Click here to learn more about these policies.
Zoning
Previous Zoning:
- RS-1: One Family Dwelling
- FSR*: 0.35 FSR
Approved Zoning:
- CD-1: Comprehensive Development
- FSR: 2.53 FSR
*FSR is the ratio of a building’s total floor area to the area of land upon which it is built.