Darwin Properties and QuadReal Property Group are teaming up on a significant mixed-use development proposal for North Vancouver.
The project, called Maplewood Gardens, would add 553 new homes including a mix of condominiums, rental housing and a retail village built around a 2.9-acre central courtyard.
The site’s 4.4-acre lot — located at 2131-2171 Old Dollarton Road, west of Riverside Drive — is currently occupied by light industrial buildings and a rowhouse complex containing 58 apartment units that was built in 1972.
The two-phase development would transform an entire city block and mark North Vancouver’s first mass timber residential building.
The first phase would include construction of a new building, managed by BC Housing, containing 58 non-market replacement rentals for the existing families living on site, plus 22 additional rental units for middle-income households.
Upon completion, Maplewood Gardens would also feature 374 condos in three buildings, a second rental building with 99 market rental units, and 31,000 square feet of commercial and live/work space.
“We are excited to partner with QuadReal on this new family community that will serve many different demographics on the North Shore, giving people the option to stay in the community,” said Chris Wilkinson, senior development manager at Darwin Properties, in a release. “We hope the development will become a vibrant, new residential community providing a spectrum of housing solutions to support the future growth of the area,”
Underground levels on the site will provide room for approximately 600 EV-wired parking stalls and 1,000 bicycle spaces.
According to a recent report by Colliers, North Vancouver has set a growth target of 1,500 new housing units in the Maplewood neighbourhood by 2030. The new development will meet more than one-third of that goal.
“Maplewood Gardens will be a key contributor to the targeted growth in this area, and will help meet the housing demand identified by the district,” said Russell Whitehead, associate vice-president at Colliers Vancouver. “There is a lot of employment currently in the area — around 2,000 jobs — but 80 per cent of those employees don’t live in the area, contributing to congestion. This new development will provide housing so people can live closer to work.”
The Maplewood Gardens proposal will be going to first reading with the North Vancouver district on Dec. 13, after five years in the queue.
