Condos planned next to new New Westminster school
Two six-storey condominium buildings are being proposed for kitty corner to the new elementary school site on the former St. Mary's Hospital grounds.
A preliminary report to council Monday said the project by Creekside Architects is expected to have 158 units, comprised of 50 one-bedroom, 64 two bedroom and 44 three bedrooms units. It would be built at 314 Agnes St., taking up the block between Merrivale and Blackwood streets.
While the site needs to be rezoned from single family residential, it does conform to the city's official community plan for the area.
The preliminary plans call for wood-frame structures with a walkway through the project. The steep slope on the south side of the property above Dickenson Street allows the project to be able to include a significant number of ground-level units, said the report. There are also plans for a landscaped area oriented to the new school site. The proposal provides for 265 parking spaces, 17 more than would be required.
The rezoning would come at a price.
"As this involves a potential increase in land value, an amenity contribution will be discussed with the applicant," said the report written by planner Barry Waitt.
The proposal will be presented at an open house and to the Downtown Residents Association. It will also be reviewed by the advisory planning commission for land use and density, and by the city's design panel before going to council and to a public hearing.
Meantime, construction of the new school is expected to begin this spring.
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