New Condo Development in East Van
Have you been wondering what’s coming up on Broadway, between Main St and Kingsway? It will be a LARGE new condo development project. Recently there have been signs of upcoming construction and in July, the developers received the Development Permit Board approval they needed to get started. This came after April’s approval from the Urban Design Panel. This block has been the source of quite a bit of neighbourhood talk in the last few years, with many people opposing the potential development (for fear that it will alter the feel of the neighbourhood) but after many revisions and meetings, the Developers have finally received the approval they needed to get started.
Information from Rize about The Independent
The Developer is Rize – they have completed The Rolston downtown and Metropolis at Metrotown. The Architect group behind the project is Acton Ostry Architects, who have been behind some cool buildings: Terminus and Garage in Gastown, The Percival Building in Yaletown and Stella in Mount Pleasant.
The Independent at Main and Broadway
Called The Independent, this will be a mixed use development (residential and commercial) with multiple buildings including a high rise tower, townhouses and amenities. The development will offer 1, 2 and 3 bedroom homes. The high rise portion will be the tallest building in the neighbourhood (and a big reason for the lack of community support) the the design was approved because it will supposedly fit into the neighbourhood (from an architectural standpoint) and will offer amenities to the community.
From the Developer: “The tower portion of The Independent will be crowned by a grove of Douglas Fir trees, marking the approximate height of the first growth trees once found in the area.”
The Independent will be a 21-storey mixed-use development that will include 258 homes situated within five unique building blocks. Amenities include a 23,000 square foot indoor/ outdoor space designed to foster a sense of community amongst the building’s residents. Also included are a dog spa to wash and groom pets, outdoor dog walk, a workshop that includes bike repair, workstations and tool lockers, as well as a large exercise area complete with lockers. The site will also include two car share vehicles and over 320 bike stalls.
Also part of this project is support for community arts groups, who will be receiving $4.5 million out of the total community contribution the Rize had to make to get this project off the ground. One part of it is a $538,000 public art budget which will add some spark to the streetscape.
Information about The Independent
For more information, see the Independent website. Construction should start in early 2015 with completion expected in 2017.
Contact the WeLoveEastVan team if you’re interested in learning more about this or other developments.
