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Housing builders busy in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows

ERA and Provenance major developments in downtown

Residential development continues at a high pace in Maple Ridge.

New mayor Dan Ruimy said his council needs to help create affordable housing, which was an issue he and his fellow councillors heard repeatedly during the campaign that saw them elected on Oct. 15. It’s an issue that will be discussed during upcoming council strategy sessions, he said.

Ruimy said his A Better Maple Ridge slate is not anti-developer, and they will be working with builders on projects that are in process at city hall.

“We need developers,” he said, adding he does not know of any projects that are currently facing opposition from his council, as it takes its first steps into a four-year term.

There are many in development.

ERA Maple Ridge continues to build its billion-dollar development along Dewdney Trunk Road downtown.

The first phase, which also borders Plaza Street and Brown Avenue, provides both 110 condos that are privately owned, 49 rentals, as well as townhouses.

Nadja Gehringer of builder SwissReal said the first phase will also have 7,000 square feet of commercial space, which is room for about five businesses.

“It think it will add a lot to the area,” she said.

Gehringer said phases two and three are still in the design stage, but the city has issued development permits, and SwissReal hopes to start building in 2023. The second phase will see construction of a two storey amenities clubhouse with a pool, gymnasium, golf simulator, offices and more.

It will also feature an apartment tower, which will be the highest in the city, and could be as high as 20 storeys. Occupants will have views of the Fraser River in the south or mountains in the north. Phase three will be a six-storey wood frame building facing Dewdney Trunk Road.

The project is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Bruce Johnston and Tom Meier of Johnston Meier Insurance. Once finished, the nearly 900 unit development will offer market and rental homes, as well as 50,000 sq. ft. of commercial and 10,000 sq. ft. of office space.

Another major residential project is the Provenance townhome development by Polygon homes on Pazarena Place. It’s in the second phase, and Provenance South will add another 147 “English cottage” style townhouse units, as well as about 930 square metres of commercial space along the Lougheed Highway, 24 rental apartments, and an amenity building with a gym, pool and more.

In total the Polygon development, which is on both sides of the Lougheed, west of Kanaka Way, will build about 360 dwellings – houses, townhomes and condos.

For affordable housing, one of the key developments coming is a new Metro Vancouver project in Pitt Meadows. It will provide 120 units, with rents below market value, and will be located at 19085 119B Avenue. The $46 million facility will also house a non-profit childcare facility, and be designed to serve families, seniors and people with disabilities.

READ ALSO: Metro working to bring affordable housing to Pitt Meadows

Pitt Meadows has limited opportunities for residential development, noted Mayor Nicole MacDonald, because the city is almost 80 per cent farmland. So infill, or re-development of older residential lots, is key.

However, the Onni Group is building Nature’s Walk townhouse development in South Bonson, along Airport Way, and it is nearing completion, bringing 220 townhomes.

MacDonald said its a desirable area to live.

“People love it there – there’s a real community feel.”

There are numerous developments that are collectively reshaping Maple Ridge.

• Whitetail Homes is now selling Podium, a six-storey condominium development with 125 units at Fraser Street and North Avenue, to be completed in summer 2024.

• Across from Beckett Park is La Riviere, a six-floor, 111-unit development by Pacific Vision Development that will be completed in 2025.

• Inspire is a 330 unit condo development at 22229 Brown Avenue, near the School District 42 office, by the Platinum Group of companies.

• The Brickwater’s fourth phase will see 79 new units built by Falcon Homes in central Maple Ridge, to be completed in the spring of 2024.

• Highpointe condo development by Concordia properties is in the heart of Maple Ridge on 227th Street, with 153 units.

• The third building, the Edge Condos by MacLean Homes, is being built at the corner of Brown Avenue and Edge Street, and will see another 48 units in Haney.

• Bridle Ridge is a development of 109 single family homes on Marc Road, in Silver Valley, being built by Morningstar.

Clarification

I would like to provide further explanation to my statement that was published in the Nov. 18 issue of the Maple Ridge News regarding development in Maple Ridge.

Maple Ridge is growing at a pace that is double the national average and we will need lots of housing to meet the current and future needs.

We are looking at housing from a couple of lenses. First, there is an urgent need to stabilize housing for vulnerable citizens in the community, for our seniors, young citizens and young families. We have to look at ways that we can work collaboratively with the development community and senior government to ensure that there is a spectrum of housing types to fit the needs of our growing population.

I and my fellow Council members recognize that we need developers, good developers, to build quality homes for our citizens and provide good jobs in our community.

While we are aware there is opposition to some developments in the community, I had stated that I was not aware of any developments that are currently facing opposition from our newly elected Council as we have not had the opportunity to consider any applications given we are at the start of our four-year term. As a Council, we can only deal with the applications before us.

There are seven voices around the table who all bring a diversity of perspectives to our decision making. I can assure you that as each application comes before us, we will deal with the specific file as it navigates through the processes and vote individually as Council members. Where we see aspects of a proposal that relate to some aspect of the City’s policy framework that needs to be revised or updated, we will do that work in a collaborative and thoughtful way, getting professional advice from staff, from the development industry and engage the community to ensure that we have the right framework in place.

Our role is to do the right things to achieve a shared vision for the community. I look forward to working towards this over the next four years.

Mayor Dan Ruimy

Maple Ridge


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Neil Corbett

About the Author: Neil Corbett

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, the past decade with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News.
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