A developer proposing to build a six-storey mixed-use condo complex on two vacant lots on St. Johns Street will have to do a little more work before presenting it to city council.
Tuesday, Port Moody’s community planning advisory committee (CPAC) told FL Group GP Ltd. it needs to figure out how to add a second elevator to the L-shaped building, which would include 70 condo units along with 8,123 sq. ft. of commercial space on the ground floor.
The committee also suggested the builder work harder to make the project, proposed for land located between Moody middle school and the PoMo police station, more environmentally sustainable and improve its cultural component, perhaps by adding public art or artistic bike stands.
While committee member Callan Morrison said the project would be a marked improvement over the vacant lots where it would be built, Mayor Mike Clay said the proposal left him cold.
“There’s nothing captivating about this project,” Clay said, adding he’d be more excited if it offered some affordable rental units, or perhaps technical innovations. “It really isn’t delivering anything else to the residents of the city."
The project’s architect, Paul Goodwin of GBL Architects, told the committee the building’s 70 condo units would range from 522 sq. ft. to 1,134 sq. ft.; 39 would be one-bedroom or one-bedroom plus den units; 23 would be two-bedroom and two-bedroom plus den; and eight would be three-bedroom and three-bedroom plus den. Parking for 111 vehicles would be provided in a two-storey underground parkade, along with space for 96 bicycles.
But several members of the committee agreed having so many units serviced by only one elevator could be a problem if that elevator breaks down or is otherwise tied up by someone moving in or out, especially for residents with mobility issues who rely on the elevator to get to and from their unit.
“I would like to see more work for adaptability and accessibility,” Coun. Zoe Royer said. “We know it’s the future of most everyone in the room.”
The committee meeting was the first since the advisory design panel was disbanded and its function rolled into CPAC in an effort to streamline the development application process.
