Council approves new condo towers

Vancouver council pushed ahead Thursday with approval of two new residential towers at the north end of Cambie Bridge for Concord Pacific, but also signalled it wants the company to move ahead with building a long- promised park for North False Creek residents.

In approving the 620 residential units in the 28- and 30- storey towers, the city accepted an overall $ 19.6- million community amenity contributions ( CAC) benefits package for the remaining land Concord wants to develop along the north side of False Creek.

Much will go toward a new Dragon Boat facility on False Creek, as well as give the city title to 58 West Hastings, a vacant parcel it can now use for social housing.

Originally the company offered a similar amount of money that included a nearly $ 4- million long- term lease for a park extension, as well as a second vacant parcel on East Hastings.

Both of those offers have now been withdrawn and instead the city will bank another $ 2.6 million into its already- healthy heritage density bank.

As part of the approval, council told city staff to report back on a timeline for delivery of the long- delayed Creekside Park. Residents have complained for years that the park should have been among the first built when Concord began infilling what was previously an industrial area on which Expo 86 was housed. The company has sequestered under the proposed park much of the contaminated soils it recovered from other parts of its development.

Concord and the city agreed to delay the park in part because of the future of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts, which the Vision Vancouver council is determined to bring down. The controversial roadways’ future won’t be decided until after the November civic election.