In June, after working on the project in some form for over 14 years, Beedie finally unveiled its plans for Fraser Mills, a 96-acre community along the Fraser River in Coquitlam, and the Vancouver-based developer is wasting no time in getting things going.
On Monday, Coquitlam City Council approved the development permit for the first tower of Fraser Mills: the aptly named Debut.
The 96 acres of Fraser Mills are bound by United Boulevard on the north and the Fraser River on the south, with King Edward Street running vertically through the site, near its western edge. Debut will be located at 1251 Ghuman Place (Lot 13), between King Edward Street and a future road towards the east called Millside Street, close to the intersection with United Boulevard.
Beedie's $10M presentation centre for Fraser Mills is currently being constructed kitty-corner to the Debut site (Lot 24).
Debut will rise on Lot 13, near the middle of Fraser Mills.(City of Coquitlam)
Debut will be a 36-storey residential tower atop a five-storey podium, with a total of 318 strata condominium units. The suite mix consists of 88 one-bedrooms, 66 one-bedroom-plus-dens, 64 two-bedrooms, 67 two-bedroom-plus-dens, 16 three-bedrooms, and 17 three-bedroom-plus-dens.
Of the 318 units, 286 will be high-rise apartments while the remaining 32 will be townhouses, located inside the podium. Townhouses on the ground level will have a private entrance and patio, with the uppermost level opening up to private green space.
Indoor residential amenities will include a lounge, guest studio, games room, and exercise room, while outdoor amenities atop the podium and tower will include a children's play area and lounges. The interiors of the building will be designed by Vancouver-based Insight Design Group.
In terms of parking, a total of 376 vehicle parking spaces and 433 bicycle parking spaces will be provided, but in an uncommon move, most of the parking will be provided in a four-level parkade above ground, making up most of the building podium, with just one floor of parking provided underground.
It's unclear why this was the chosen design, but it was likely not made on a whim, as the City notes the site is within the Fraser River floodplain.
Townhouses will surround the entirety of the building podium.(Beedie, Dys Architecture)
The residential lobby.(Beedie, Dys Architecture)
Vancouver-based Dys Architecture is serving as the architect of the project. Their design pays homage to the Fraser Mills site's history as a one of the largest sawmills in the world by incorporating vertical and horizontal design elements intended to evoke imagery of floating wood logs and stacked lumber.
The architects say that Debut, as well as a future Fraser Mills tower, will serve as the "gateway" into the Fraser Mills community, as they are the first towers encountered when entering from United Boulevard.
The roof of the building podium will have landscaped green space for residents.(Beedie, Dys Architecture)
The roof of the tower will also feature outdoor amenity space.(Beedie, Dys Architecture)
The project will have a total floor space ratio of 5.3, and City staff are in support of the project, saying that it will provide a diverse mix of housing units and exceed the minimum amount of amenity space that's required.
For the City, the project is anticipated to generate approximately $7,636,000 via development cost charges (DCCs). The City of Coquitlam recently approved increases to its DCC rates, but the increases only apply to project applications submitted on or after October 1, 2023.
In the City report in which staff recommended Council approve the development permit for Debut, staff also revealed that Beedie has submitted an application to develop an "industrial warehouse with office mezzanine," a 32-storey residential tower with 309 strata units, and a 47-storey tower with 461 rental units within Fraser Mills.
All three projects are currently in the pre-Council stage and Beedie has yet to name or announce the projects.
For Debut, presales are expected to launch sometime this fall, with construction likely to begin once presale targets are met.
