YMCA Langara Reveals Redevelopment Plan to Increase Facility Capacity and Housing Supply in Vancouver

YMCA Langara Reveals Redevelopment Plan to Increase Facility Capacity and Housing Supply in Vancouver

  • Real Estate
November 1, 2018


by Anna Dimoff

YMCA Langara’s Innovative Redevelopment Plan

YMCA Langara of Greater Vancouver has come out with an innovative way to enhance their existing user experience and increase Vancouver housing supply at the same time. It is by rezoning and redeveloping the existing Langara Family YMCA site at 282 West 49th Avenue.

A Pre-Application Open House was held early this year revealing the detail about the redevelopment proposal. According to the Cambie Corridor Plan, the site is identified as a unique site with very specific development direction. The YMCA unique site puts a heavy emphasis on community curation, affordable housing opportunity, and public spaces.

As a result, there are 4 main components of the proposed development: a new state of the art YMCA facility, childcare facility, affordable housing units, and strata residential housing units. Each component will share the underground parking and bicycle loading areas.

Rezoning and a Higher Density Opens Doors to New Opportunity

Rezoning and redevelopment of Cambie Corridor not only seek to increase housing supply, but it created a unique opportunity to provide more affordable housing and improve existing community services. This is achieved through better utilization of scarce land resources.
City of Vancouver currently zoned the 87,000 sqft site as CD-1 with a floor space ratio (FSR) of 0.5-0.7, which limits the development potential. The proposed density is approximately 3.35 FSR equals to approximately 291,450 sqft of buildable space.

The YMCA Langara Proposed Development Plan

The additional buildable space allows a new YMCA to be built with an increased capacity up to 75,000 sqft over time replacing the existing 44,000 sqft facility. YMCA Langara will have more options when developing new and upgrading existing program and services to help those in need. YMCA Langara will dedicate 9,000 sqft of its additional space to develop a childcare facility with associated outdoor play areas.

Approximately 71 affordable housing units (60,000 sqft) owned and operated by YMCA in 11 storeys on top of the portion of the recreation facilities. The affordable housing will be a mix of market rental and below market rental unit supporting families who are having difficulty finding a place to live.

Density is set aside for developer to build approximately 157 units of strata residential housing in the form of a 20-storey apartment tower with townhouses (172,000 sqft) at grade. YMCA allocating the space to developers in support of increasing public housing supply. It also helps to build a diverse community by creating an environment where people from different background to gather. The sales proceed from residential condo density will provide financial support of the new YMCA and daycare facilities.

An Opportunity to be Seized

City of Vancouver’s Cambie Corridor Community Plan projects an additional 50,000 new residents moving into the area. Therefore, an increase in services and amenities is necessary to support the growing population. YMCA of Greater Vancouver made an important step in doing a greater good for the residents of Cambie Corridor by expanding its facility, providing more services, and coming up with new ways to build a community. The project is in pre-application stage. Covalent Advisory Group hopes the application move onto the next stage because YMCA is taking an initiative to make Vancouver a better place. We will follow-up on the status of the application and report the latest update in a timely fashion.

For our more marketing insight and trend please visit our Market Intelligent section to see our land assembly reports.

Yoyoe Lu

Founder and managing principal
yoyoe@claridgeadvisors.com

Yoyoe is the founder and managing principal of Claridge. She was ranked one of Vancouver’s top real estate agents. Currently, Yoyoe is our strategic mind leading the team to success. Her affiliation with industry professionals put her ahead of our competitors. Yoyoe is also part of the Rotary Club of West Vancouver, Canadian Homebuilders Association, Urban Land Institute and Urban Development Institute.

Ashley Osborn

Development Site and Investment Specialist
ashley@claridgeadvisors.com

Ashely is our lead land and investment advisor. He has been consistently featured in the annual top 100 real estate deals of British Columbia ranking. With over $15 billion worth of domestic and international real estate investments under his belt, Ashley is one of the top agents in the province. His 20 years of real estate and financial experience make him a master in negotiation and acquisition.

Patricia Wong Chong

Investment and Leasing Specialist
patricia@claridgeadvisors.com

Patricia is our investment and retail leasing advisor. Her experience in brokerage and market research analysis has helped her comprise over $550 million in commercial real estate transactions. Patricia is responsible, detail-oriented, and professional. Her strong work ethic and positive attitude have led her to surpass all her competitors.

Schumann Li

Land Assembly & Residential Specialist
schumann@claridgeadvisors.com

Schumann is a top-producing realtor in the Lower Mainland with more than 30 years’ experience. Over the years, Schumann hasn’t just garnered awards, but the trust of countless customers. Her clients continually refer to her outstanding professionalism, work ethic and poise.

Wendy Kaip

Sales Associate
wendy@claridgeadvisors.com

Whether it’s decoding city policies, strategizing relocation plans, home sellers looking for a trustworthy advisor to unlock their property’s maximum potential- Wendy is here to help every step along the way.

Prior to real estate, Wendy spent over a decade in the mining industry with her attention to detail, keen negotiation skills, extensive network and strong reputation for getting the deal done, bringing endless value to her current real estate clients.

Whether you are thinking about selling to a developer, or have more questions about commercial real estate, Wendy invites you to connect, to see how she can utilize her expertise and team to help create value and maximize your real estate goals.

Simon Chan

Managing Broker
simon@claridgeadvisors.com

Simon is the managing broker of Claridge Real Estate Advisors Inc. His expertise has helped our agents resolve many difficulties. Not only is Simon knowledgeable with real estate legislation, but he is also very detail orientated. With Simon on our team, our agents are confident to conduct businesses and will always get the support they need to ensure they’re not walking on dirty water.

Frank Zhou

Analyst
frank@claridgeadvisors.com

As the analyst of the company, my key job is to help brokers to find marketable clients and locate feasible development sites by collecting and analyzing up-to-date market transaction data and conducting target market and property-level research. Meanwhile, I am also in charge of maintaining the company’s property database to ensure accuracy and comprehensiveness and continuously upgrading the level of knowledge by staying up to date with hot topics, and market trends, and incorporating findings into everyday work. Before joining the company, I worked for CR Group as a real estate investment manager, focusing on capital raising, equity and debt financing, acquisition and renovation. I hold 2 master’s degrees, one in Housing Management and the other in Economics.

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