Maplewood Gardens

The Maplewood Gardens site is 4.9 acres, located just behind Northwoods Village and bordered by Old Dollarton Road to the north, Riverside Drive to the east, Front Street to the South, and Seymour River Place to the west.

Today there is an aging rental complex on site – Maplewood Gardens Apartments – with 58 rental apartments on the site consisting of 2-3 storey townhomes. There are also 8 industrial units in 2 buildings along Front Street, with over half of the space primarily used for storage.

Darwin has been conducting regular maintenance and improvements to the existing buildings, however they are over 50 years old and were experiencing significant wear and deterioration well before Darwin bought the property 5 years ago.

Darwin is proposing to replace the existing 58 market rental homes and 8 older industrial units currently onsite with 58 new below-market rental homes and 8 new retail units. In addition, there will be 121 market rental homes, 357 condominium units, and 17 live-work units. There will also be a large central courtyard taking up two-thirds of the site, as well as over 15,000sqft of amenities for residents, a new shared street for community events, and space for a B-Line bus stop.

Yes. Today there is an aging rental complex on site – Maplewood Gardens Apartments – with 58 rental apartments on the site consisting of 2-3 storey townhomes. There are also 8 industrial units in 2 buildings along Front Street, but over half of the units are untenanted and used for storage.

Darwin acquired the property in 2015 and has not raised rents in the 5 years since. We have been regularly communicating updates to our current residents, and have conducted 2 surveys to understand future housing needs. Darwin also hired an experienced tenant specialist, LPA Development Consultants, to act as a dedicated resource to assist with tenant needs.

No. There will be no displacement of current residents during construction or after project completion, unless residents decide they want to live elsewhere.

Darwin’s primary focus has always been to do the right thing for our existing residents – this has not changed in the 5 years we have owned the site. Darwin’s plan is to replace the 58 aging market rental units currently on the site with brand new below-market rental units at below-market rents for our residents.

To facilitate this and also to ensure no displacement of current residents, the project is proposed to be phased in such a way as to build the replacement rental homes first. This will minimize impact to our residents and ensure no one is displaced outside the Maplewood community. Residents will remain living in their current homes onsite while their new building is constructed on the same site. Once the replacement rental building is complete, residents can move in and only then will the existing residential buildings be demolished.

BC Housing is a partner on this project and will take over the management of the replacement rental building, including its 58 below-market homes for current tenants. Through a new BC Housing rental program, Darwin is able to offer these 58 brand-new homes at below-market rents to residents currently living in market rental apartments at Maplewood Gardens.

BC Housing’s involvement with the project also assures the District, the community, and residents that the conditions of the project proposal, including the below-market rents, will be carried out completely and correctly. This will be the first BC Housing project in the Maplewood area and the first time this new BC Housing below-market rental program is offered in the District.

Darwin’s proposal for Maplewood Gardens offers a number of resident and community benefits:

• 58 below-market homes for current Maplwood Gardens residents
• Innovative partnership with BC Housing to deliver the below-market rental housing through a new BC Housing program (first time on the North Shore)
• Wide range of housing options, including below-market rental, market rental, live/work, and market condo
• Over 200% increase in the number of rental homes on site
• Over 25% increase over current job space on site
• Road widening and bus stop for future rapid B-Line bus extension to Maplewood
• New dedicated commercial high street and 2 new commercial plazas
• 100% EV charged vehicle parking
• North Vancouver’s first 12-storey mass timber building, a more sustainable construction method than concrete
• Enhanced Step Code 3 standards beyond current District requirements
• Homes powered by a Low Carbon Energy System using primarily clean energy to achieve accelerated greenhouse gas emission targets
• Improved pedestrian & bicycle connectivity
• Outdoor communal green spaces including 2.9 acre central courtyard

Yes – one-third of the 553 homes proposed will be purpose-built, secured rental housing. Of the 179 rental homes, 58 (or 10% of the total homes proposed) will be offered at below-market rates in partnership with BC Housing. Current Maplewood Gardens residents will have first access to these below-market replacement homes and the project is being phased to ensure there will be no displacement offsite during construction.

The project promotes a number of sustainability measures. These include:

• Clean Energy: the new homes will be powered primarily with clean energy, with a Low Carbon Energy System (LCES) for domestic hot water and building heating.
• Sustainable Building Standards: the project goes beyond current District requirements such that all buildings will be built to a level beyond the current Step Code 3 requirement in the BC Energy Step Code. Step 3 with a Low Carbon Energy System is currently proposed.
• Accelerated Greenhouse Gas Intensity Targets: the project is proposing to reduce by half its total GHG emissions beyond current District requirements. This means that, rather than the current requirement of maximum 6kg CO2e/m2/yr, the project’s greenhouse gas intensity will be no more than 3kg CO2e/m2/yr.
• Mass Timber: North Vancouver’s 1^st mass timber condo building, this 12-storey building presents a 25-30% decrease in carbon emissions compared to traditional concrete construction.
• EV Charging: the proposal exceeds the District’s requirement for EV charging and includes infrastructure so that 100% of the parking stalls can be EV charged.
• Decreased Car Dependency: several transportation initiatives are included to help reduce car dependency and thus traffic impacts, including: road widening & bus stop for the B-Line rapid bus; 55% less parking than required by District bylaw; 968 secure Class 1 bike stalls (1.75/unit); located in one of four Town Centres, walking distance to shops, services, schools, and trails.

The proposal includes many improvements to lessen traffic in the neighbourhood:

• Road dedication to widen Old Dollarton Road to allow for future B-Line bus queuing and a bus stop at the NE corner of the site
• Road dedication to widen Riverside Drive to create a separated bike path and improved sidewalk
• Dedication to extend of Seymour River Place from the current dead-end (western edge of site), through to Front Street – providing a key north-south connection in the area

Construction of the Maplewood Gardens project will not begin until after the expected completion of the Highway 1 improvements currently underway. This means that the construction of this project will not worsen the current traffic situation on the highway and future residents of Maplewood Gardens will benefit from these improvements.

The proposal encourages more walking and cycling while reducing car dependency in many ways:

• Providing road dedication and infrastructure for the future B-Line extension on Old Dollarton Rd
• 55% less parking than the DNV bylaw requires, leading to less traffic and discouraging car ownership
• 100% EV charged parking stalls
• 968 secure Class 1 bike stalls (1.75/unit)
• Located in the walkable Maplewood Village Centre, steps to shops, playgrounds, cafes, schools, and trails

Construction on Phase 1 will not start until late 2022, dependent on Council approvals and staff processing time. This is after the construction of the Highway 1 improvements currently underway is anticipated to complete.

The proposal is 100% compliant with the District’s Official Community Plan and its Maplewood Area Plan. It complies with all policies in these documents, including height, density, and uses proposed. It is also being proposed in one of the Districts four Town Centres, which are areas projected for more growth and close to amenities including shops, services, transportation connections, and trails.

From Darwin's roots as a construction company founded in 1987, Darwin has grown to be one of the most active developers on the North Shore. With over 30 years of experience in construction and development, Darwin has more than 65 acres and 4.8 million square feet of residential, mixed-use and commercial projects in the planning or construction phase of development.

BC Housing manages a range of affordable housing options across the province. BC Housing also works in partnership with the private and non-profit sectors, other levels of government and community groups to develop a range of housing options. BC Housing will manage the replacement rental building built in the first phase of the project, which will include below-market units for the existing residents.