Transit-Oriented Developments Set To Usher In A New New Westminster

Did you know New Westminster is British Columbia’s oldest city? New West was an early pioneer settlement with a history that dates back 10,000 years, it was incorporated in 1859, and it was the first capital city of British Columbia until Victoria took over the mantle after British Columbia was united with Vancouver Island in 1866.

This is why, when you look at land titles for properties across the Lower Mainland, the “legal description” for properties as far out as Surrey, Burnaby, or even North Vancouver, identify the property as part of the New Westminster Land District.

By land area, the City of New Westminster is now just 15.62 sq. km (3,860 acres), making it about the size of the Town of Smithers and one of the smallest municipalities in Metro Vancouver. With a population of 78,916 as of the 2021 Census, however, this means New West has a population density of 5,052 people per sq. km, which is one of the densest municipalities in all of BC, second only to Vancouver.

Some population density is good, but too much of it can potentially exert pressure on things like transportation, healthcare, and housing. One solution, then, at least on the issue of housing, is a corresponding density increase when it comes to new construction, and one of the easiest ways to start doing that is with transit-oriented development.

In some ways, New Westminster is optimal for transit-oriented development, as it’s home to five SkyTrain stations (22nd Street Station, New Westminster, Columbia, Sapperton, and Braid), which is more stations than Surrey has (for now), despite Surrey being one of the largest municipalities in BC by land area.

With the Province introducing Bill 47, the Housing Statutes (Transit-Oriented Areas) Amendment Act, this time last year, and the City of New Westminster implementing the legislation earlier this year, more transit-oriented development is very much in the City’s future.

New West already has many developments that can rightfully be deemed transit-oriented developments, primarily clustered around New Westminster Station and Columbia Station in the city’s downtown core, such as the Plaza 88 mixed-use complex built around New Westminster Station. Recently, however, the City’s has seen a wave of projects being planned or proposed.

The biggest is without a doubt the Columbia Square redevelopment that’s being undertaken by Vancouver-based real estate developer Edgar Development, who acquired the site in 2021 for $136 million. The redevelopment will see the 7.1-acre open-air shopping centre at 88 Tenth Street, about one block west of New Westminster Station, transformed into a sprawling mixed-use community with 3,800 homes across eight towers up to 53 storeys in height that will also include commercial space, childcare space, public space, and space for a new school.

“We acquired the site in 2021 and we identified it as a great opportunity where density should be placed,” Matthew McClenaghan, President of Edgar Development, told STOREYS earlier this week. “It’s within minutes from a SkyTrain station and it’s a surface parking shopping centre on seven acres of land, so it’s quite under-utilized.”

The project was in the works before the Province introduced Bill 47 and the City had already designated the site for high-density development.

“This [site] was already identified in the [Official Community Plan] for high-density mixed-use,” said McClenaghan. “We’re OCP-compliant, we’re sticking within the uses that are already written in their policies, so [the City] has been very supportive and championing this project.”

Council granted third reading (conditional approval) to the proposal on October 28 — after an extensive discussion on October 21 that resulted in the decision being deferred — and Edgar will now develop a master plan for the project and work towards final approval. After receiving the necessary approvals, full build out of the project is expected to take about 10 to 15 years, says McClenaghan.

While the Columbia Square redevelopment is set to be the largest transit-oriented development, it’s far from the only one.

Also in the works now is the redevelopment of the Royal Towers at 140 Sixth Street, which was formerly a hotel that was converted into rental housing in 2010. The property was sold in 2017 for $50 million, a pre-application was submitted for the site in 2018 for two towers up to 40 storeys, and the City says it recently received a proposal that will be considered under the Bill 47 framework, under which the site is deemed a Tier 2 Columbia Station TOA site. The project is being undertaken by Vintop, the developer of the 32-storey Ovation tower between Columbia Square and New Westminster Station.

Additionally, the City has also recently received a rezoning application for 65 First Street, located northeast from Columbia Station. For the site, Merchant Housing Capital has proposed a 31-storey tower and a 35-storey tower with 304 strata units, 299 market rental units, and 30 below-market rental units. The property was formerly a strata building that the developer acquired in 2021 for $22,735,920 and the site is considered a Tier 3 TOA site.

Reliance Properties is also undertaking a high-rise project adjacent to New Westminster Station. The proposal, which was considered by Council earlier this year, is for a 44-storey strata tower and eight-storey hotel. The adjacent site at 810 Agnes Street is also home to a 33-storey rental tower that is now under construction. Further away, by Sapperton Station, Wesgroup Properties has also been working on their multi-phased mixed-use development called the Brewery District for several years.

Furthermore, the City is also currently working on a new vision plan for the area immediately surrounding 22nd Street Station, in hopes of turning the neighbourhood into “a high-density mixed-use core centered around a regional transit hub, where residents’ daily needs can be met in close proximity to home” and “a neighbourhood of abundant housing with a mix of tenures and affordability levels.”

In other words, New Westminster is embracing transit-oriented development and is well on its way to becoming a transit-oriented city.