Perhaps better known for their industrial projects, Vancouver-based Conwest Developments has also developed low-density housing, but are now moving into new territory with their first high-rise residential tower.
The subject site of the proposal is 4001-4009 Knight Street and 1348 E 24th Avenue, which also fronts King Edward Avenue. The site is located across the street from Kingcrest Park and one block south from Kingsway.
The Knight Street property is currently occupied by a one-storey commercial building originally constructed in 1968, while the E 24th property is currently occupied by a single-family home constructed in 1994. BC Assessment values the two properties, respectively, at $6,809,400 and $2,401,000, for a total value of $9,210,400, almost all of which is attributed to the land.
Conwest Developments owns the property through Conwest (4001 Knight) GP Ltd.
The 4001-4009 Knight Street and 1348 E 24th Avenue site in East Vancouver.(Francl Architecture, Conwest Developments)
For the site, Conwest Developments is proposing a 24-storey strata tower with 233 units, consisting of 21 studio units, 128 one-bedroom units, 60 two-bedroom units, and 24 three-bedroom units.
The tower will sit atop a four-level building podium that will house some of the residential units, as well as 4,187 sq. ft of retail space and a 37-space childcare facility. The proposal also includes 240 vehicle parking spaces and 470 bicycle parking spaces, which will be provided in a seven-level underground parkade.
Conwest is seeking to rezone the site from C-2 (Commercial) and RM-1N (Residential) to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) in order to allow for the proposed uses and density. The proposal is for a 261-ft tower and the project has a total density of 10.47 FSR.
On its website, Conwest's list of residential projects includes no other high-rise towers, and Conwest COO Ben Taddei tells STOREYS this project, which does not have an official name yet, is indeed the company's first high-rise residential tower.
A ground-level rendering of the tower from the corner of 25th Avenue and Knight Street.(Francl Architecture, Conwest Developments)
A ground-level rendering of the tower proposed for 4001-4009 Knight Street and 1348 E 24th Avenue.(Francl Architecture, Conwest Developments)
The rezoning application was received by the City of Vancouver on March 14 and was published by the City on August 15, with a note saying that the proposal was non-compliant with existing policy.
"This application is not consistent with Council-adopted rezoning policies," the City said. "The City is required to process all rezoning applications submitted and staff position on the proposal will be summarized in the referral report later in the application process timeline."
Asked about the non-compliance, Conwest VP of Development Joe Carreira tells STOREYS that there's more context than what the City's note outlines.
"The area is considered part of the Cedar Cottage neighbourhood and, in the '90s, the City had a vision document, which was in essence the policy for the area," Carreira says. "That vision document highlighted [the nearby properties] as the Kingsway-Knight Street shopping area and it's been coming to fruition, but very slowly. The Kingsway-Cedar Cottage Village vision document was repealed last year [as part of the implementation of the Vancouver Plan], which in essence makes the tower projects across the street not non-conforming — they have zoning so they're conforming — but without policy. There's no policy. Period. That's why it's outside policy — because there isn't any."
A ground-level rendering of the tower proposed for 4001-4009 Knight Street and 1348 E 24th Avenue.(Francl Architecture, Conwest Developments)
A ground-level rendering of the tower proposed for 4001-4009 Knight Street and 1348 E 24th Avenue.(Francl Architecture, Conwest Developments)
Carreira says that Conwest has owned the property for about 10 years now and they believe the site can handle the density, since it is along two major arterial roads — Knight Street and King Edward Avenue — and near a third — Kingsway. He says the site is also unique because it fronts three streets and has the surrounding infrastructure — shops, parks, buses — that make it similar to a transit-oriented development site.
We're in a housing crisis and Vancouver has a clear shortage of childcare spaces, and their proposal includes both, he adds.
In their rezoning application, Conwest also stated that the Cedar Cottage area has had "limited new homeownership opportunities that provide area residents the ability to move up the housing continuum and remain in the Cedar Cottage area."
After publishing the rezoning application last week, the City will be holding the Q&A period for the project from Wednesday, September 25 to Tuesday, October 8, with an in-person information session also scheduled for Tuesday, October 1, although the time and location have yet to be determined.
