539 homes in towers up to 470 ft proposed near Burquitlam Station

Another major redevelopment has been proposed for the growing cluster of density around SkyTrain’s Burquitlam Station in Coquitlam.

A rezoning and development application by local developer Townline and Quadreal Property Group for 675 North Road — approximately one block south of the station — proposes to construct a 470-ft-tall, 45-storey condominium tower and a 200-ft-tall, 18-storey rental housing tower.

The site is currently occupied by two older low-storey purpose-built rental buildings — a 76-unit building constructed in 1977, and a 17-unit building constructed in 1973. Both properties were acquired by the proponent for a land assembly in July 2018.

There will be 539 homes, including 385 market condominiums, 134 market rental units, and 20 social housing units.

The condominium unit mix is 174 one-bedroom units, 119 two-bedroom units, and 52 three-bedroom units, while the combined market rental unit and non-market rental unit mix is 20 studios, 66 one-bedroom units, 43 two-bedroom units, and 16 three-bedroom units. This represents a net gain of 61 rental units for the development site.

Condominium residents will have access to 25,700 sq. ft. of amenity space, which is 21% more than city requirements. Rental tenants will have access to a separate 9,500-sq-ft amenity space.

Both the condominium tower and rental tower will feature outdoor rooftop terraces attached to the top-floor sky lounge.

On the ground level facing North Road, there will be approximately 18,000 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space.

“The dominant architectural feature of the development is a continuous dark clad ribbon that serves to unify the towers with the podium. This ribbon wraps the perimeter of the podium and extends up both towers, reducing the apparent width of the towers. The vertical expression of the dark ribbon provides contrast to the lighter horizontal glazing and banding on internal faces of the towers,” reads a city staff report’s description on the design by architectural firm DIALOG.

“A horizontal break in the condominium tower is set at the height of the rental tower, which helps break down the height of the project. This break and other upper level cuts in the two towers create deeper terraces and common rooftop deck areas populated with large scale plantings.”

The redevelopment calls for 425,000 sq. ft. of total floor area, creating a floor space ratio fo six times the size of the 1.6-acre lot.

Five underground levels will accommodate 665 vehicle parking stalls and 693 bike parking spaces.

If approved, the proponents will pay $4 million in development cost charges, $16 million in density bonus funds, $230,000 in voluntary community amenity contributions, and $720,000 for a parking scheme.