949 West 41st Avenue & 5469-5507 Willow Street (Oakridge Transit Centre) – Oak Green
Though Darren and I have followed our city’s growth for several years now, there are some things that continue to puzzle us. Chief among these is why, even after years of consulting the community to create a set of design guidelines for large sites like this, the city requires they undergo a rezoning process. In our experience, this breeds confusion and distrust, as many people worry there voices were ignored or are overwhelmed by the amount of data presented.
Which was certainly true for this open house, as the planning process for the Oakridge Transit Centre first began is 2014. Which explains why there were presentation boards on almost every wall of this large room in the Van Dusen Visitor Centre. It was no wonder that several of the ~80 people in attendance became irritated as they were unsure of where to even begin. It certainly did not help that the policy statement prescribed so much of this content.
That is because there are no real significant departures from the guidelines that were approved in late 2015. As a result, the project’s core elements, like the 2.3 acre park, childcare facility, and site’s general layout are roughly unchanged. Nonetheless, some were upset about the scale of this development, and worried how it would transition to their townhome complexes. Others were more concerned whether enough green space would be retained, which is odd considering the site’s past.
The developer may have chosen to call the area Oak Green, but there has been little nature here in the last decades, as the property was used to house and service our region’s transit buses. This is not the only space in the neighbourhood undergoing a large transformation, and with the changes proposed under Phase 3 of the Cambie Corridor Plan its no wonder why some felt underwhelmed. Naturally, they had no problem with the proposed increase of 0.2 FSR.
That request remains unchanged since the pre-application open house, but does not explain the further addition of 154 strata, and 40 rental homes, as well as 15 social housing apartments. I can only guess that is the result of decreasing the size of these homes in order to fit more in. Unfortunately, the project board listing these stats was mistakenly left blank, meaning this information was only on the comment sheet and the city’s website.
This issue went unnoticed, as several people from the area were more interested in how to buy a home here. While these individuals were excited to learn the strata homes would probably sell for $2,000 a square foot, they appeared offended when the applicant suggested the rents would be more affordable. I imagine the average Vancouverite will be glad to hear that, especially with the expansion of the Jewish Community Centre, and new amenities at the Oakridge Centre.
Another person was more concerned with the future, as they worried this development could negatively impact the chance of a subway one day being built under West 41st Avenue. I imagine most will be satisfied in the meantime with the new Rapid Bus #4 service, but it is true that senior levels of government need to better fund transit service. Until then, I imagine those waiting for the bus will enjoy all the retail planned for this street.
Admittedly, I am worried some may not realize there is a great public space behind this street wall, which is why I think it would have been nice to add some retail space along the project’s centre street. However, most of the conversations we heard were not preoccupied with these fine details, as many were focused on the Squamish Nation‘s plan for Senakw. Still, that does not mean this community should be ignored, so make sure to leave your thoughts here.
Applicant Team Information:
Developer – Modern Green Canada
Architects – James KM Cheng Architects
Landscape Architects – PFS Studio
City Duo 