Six-storey mixed-use building proposed for Third Avenue

A six-storey mixed-use building with 45 residential units and ground-floor commercial space is being proposed for 38140 Third Ave., with the development permit application recently presented to the District’s Advisory Design Panel.

The proposal calls for roughly 530 square metres of ground-floor commercial space. Five of the units would be adaptable, and nine would be three-bedroom or junior three-bedroom units. The building would reach 21 metres in height and carry a floor area ratio of 3.33, reduced slightly after land along the Third Avenue and Pemberton Avenue frontages was dedicated for new streetscape improvements.

The property is currently zoned Residential 1 but has received three readings to rezone it to Comprehensive Development 118. Under commitments tied to that rezoning, the developer will upgrade both street frontages to include separated bike lanes and parking, and will build a new public staircase connecting to the laneway. The complete laneway between Pemberton and Winnipeg avenues would also be rebuilt with new storm infrastructure.

The development includes 45 laneway-accessed parking stalls, with four residential stalls shared with commercial uses and seven stalls covered through cash-in-lieu payments. Each residential unit would receive a car share membership under the rezoning agreement. The project also proposes 94 Class A bicycle parking stalls.

Because of the site’s irregular shape and variable grades, the applicant is seeking three minor variances to parking design regulations, affecting ramp width, drive aisle width and stall length for five stalls. Reduced drive aisle widths would be managed through flashing light signals and signage, the report notes.

Amenity space includes a third-floor courtyard with both indoor and outdoor areas, as well as a rooftop terrace with seating and community garden beds. A green roof runs along the building’s rooftop perimeter.