1.4K 
An application has been submitted for the rezoning of 988 West 64th Avenue and 8030-8139 Oak Street site from a One-Family Dwelling District to a Comprehensive Development District in south Vancouver's Marpole neighbourhood. The proposal, undertaken by Arno Matis Architecture Inc, is to develop three six-storey residential buildings, set to offer a total of 130 residential units in one of Vancouver's oldest, and quickly densifying areas.
The proposed site spans seven lots south (40,400 square feet) from the northwest corner of Oak Street and West 64th Avenue, currently a residential area comprised of detached single family homes. Of the total 130 proposed units, 31 studio apartments, 45 one-bedroom units, 40 two-bedroom units, and 14 three-bedroom units are currently being put forth, alongside two levels of underground parking to house 151 vehicles and 169 bicycle spaces. An existing laneway, running parallel to and in between Oak Street and Shaughnessy Street East of the site will service the building, with the entrance to the underground parkade located at the southeast corner of the site.
Two of the three buildings will be seemingly alike in design, containing a spread of one to three bedroom units, and some 824 square feet of amenity space per building. The third building is a slightly smaller design, with fewer units, but 830 square feet of amenity space. Each of the buildings will have a modern facade built primarily from fibre cement panels and charred wood. Current proposed designs show that units will have private balconies, and that buildings will have a kind of panelled facade, with rooftop and terraced green spaces.
This development may be oriented to reflect statistics from the Marpole area, and Vancouver's real estate landscape more generally, concerning renter levels. A recent study indicates that Marpole, already ‘significant [with] apartment building stock’ is comprised by over 60 percent of renter households. Greater need for purpose-built housing in urban and residential areas seems evident in cities like Vancouver, where house prices are increasingly expensive and single-detached homes prevent densification. Andy Yan, an urban planner and director of Simon Fraser University’s City Program, notes that residential zoning often doesn't match the data, and ultimately provides an inaccurate reflection of the ways people are living in certain neighbourhoods. That the current zoning of the proposed development site is a One-Family Dwelling District, might not actually be sympathetic to the area's demographics, where instead the application to rezone the area as a Comprehensive Development District — one that 'embraces one or more land use classifications' to accommodate further development and higher density — seems like it could address Yan's concern.
The proposed development may represent this shift, or at least, seems to serve the growing Marpole community by offering considerably more dwelling units for families, couples, and individuals than previously available. For the time being, the application is being considered under the Marpole Community Plan.
A community open house will be held from 5:00 - 7:00 PM on Tuesday, March 6, 2018 at the Marpole Oakridge Community Centre, 990 West 59th Avenue, with the applicant team and City staff available to answer questions
Additional images and information can be found in the Database file linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion or share your photos? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.
