A motorist drives past a new development proposed near Vancouver mall along Northeast 51st Street on Monday morning, March 28, 2022. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
A mixed-use apartment and retail development may soon be in the works on Vancouver’s Northeast 51st Street, just north of Vancouver Mall Drive.
The proposed site, which totals 1.39 acres between two lots, would include 91,770 square feet of new construction, according to the pre-application planning documents sent to the city of Vancouver.
The property at 7805 N.E. 51st St. in Vancouver is owned by Walnut Tree Investments LLC. The pre-application was submitted by Chris Spurgin, an associate principal and LEED architect with LSW Architects in Vancouver. Among his other projects was the 10,000-square-foot Vancouver Plaza Neighborhood Clinic completed in 2018.
The 51st Street project is expected to house a four-story building, with the ground floor forming a concrete podium for wood-framed floors above. The first level would include parking, a lobby and amenities for residents in the building and commercial or office space. The builders are planning to create 80 market-rate apartments, including one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units.
According to the pre-application filed with the city, the ground floor would include 36,250 square feet of parking, some covered. It would have 3,818 square feet of retail space, a lobby, community room and office, as well as a utility room, trash area, mail area and a janitor’s area. Beside the retail area, planners expect to put in an additional 1,467 square feet of parking.
Overall, the plan is to include 98 parking spaces — fewer than the 130 spaces normally required due to its proximity to transit — as well as 22 tandem parking spaces. The building is located on two C-Tran bus lines: 32 and 78.
The second floor has 26 proposed units with an average square footage of 900 square feet. There would be five one-bedroom apartments on that floor, 10 one-bedroom plus units, nine two-bedroom units and two three-bedroom units. The two top floors would have 27 units averaging 894 square feet, including five one-bedroom units, 11 one-bedroom plus units, nine two-bedroom units and two two-bedroom units.
Plans also included mention of a rooftop green space, measuring 740 square feet.
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