A new proposed redevelopment at 810 Agnes Street in downtown New Westminster calls for a 29-storey, 285-ft-tall residential tower with a new classical Chinese public park and garden.

The site, located about two blocks away from New Westminster Station, is sloped and currently used for light commercial.

According to a rezoning and development application submitted by Jago Development Inc., the proposal calls for 222 residential units, with a unit mix of 125 one-bedroom units, 72 two-bedroom units, and 25 three-bedroom units.

Some of these units will be townhouses following the slope of Agnes Street to help activate the street.

The project will include a 6,900-sq-ft indoor amenity space for residents and 3,500-sq-ft of indoor community space – for uses such as recreational programming or retail – immediately adjacent to the future public park.

Five levels of underground parking will provide 270 vehicle stalls.

With 188,000-sq-ft of floor area proposed for the 26,100-sq-ft lot, the development is targeting a density 7.2 times the size of the site area (FSR).

“The site features dramatic slopes with the highest point found at the corner of Agnes Street and Blackie Street,” reads the design rationale by IBI Group Architects. “The massing of the building follows the direction of the slopes. A series of cubes are stacked up towards the highest corner and form the tower.”

A temporary dog park immediately to the west of the site was formerly the home of the Chinese Benevolent Association of New Westminster, and it is set to become a future public park.

To acknowledge the site’s history as a significant gathering spot for the early Chinese-Canadian community, the new 8,600-sq-ft public park will carry a distinct Chinese heritage design.

Although the new park is funded by the developer as a community amenity contribution, the design process is being carried out by the municipal government separately.

Additionally, another major residential development with 204 market housing units and 66 non-market rental units within a 32-storey tower and an eight-storey building is proposed for an adjacent site at 813-823 Carnarvon Street.

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