102-128 East Eighth Avenue & 721 Cumberland Street

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Two renderings of the proposed development, which includes 55 infill townhouse units in multiple buildings.


Project Update, May 11, 2023: City-led Consultation for this project has now concluded. Feedback received from the community will be shared back here, and with Council as they consider this application for consideration of approval at a later date.

What's being proposed?

Rezoning and Development Permit applications have been received for 102-128 East Eighth Avenue and 721 Cumberland Street in the McBride-Sapperton neighbourhood. The proposed development includes 55 infill townhouse units with an overall floor space ratio (FSR) of 1.0 across eight buildings. The buildings would be oriented parallel to East Eighth Avenue on both sides of a central pedestrian courtyard. The development includes 93 off-street parking spaces (86 resident stalls and six visitor stalls within an underground parkade, and one loading stall off the lane). A total of 69 long-term bicycle storage spaces and six short-term bicycle spaces for visitors are also proposed. This project is consistent with the site’s Residential – Ground Oriented Infill Housing (RGO) designation in the Official Community Plan.

Click here to view revised drawings of the proposed application. You can also view drawings of the original proposal here.


How can I engage?

There are multiple opportunities for the public to provide feedback through the application review process. The review process is iterative and revisions are considered, based on engagement feedback, throughout the process. The process will first involve applicant-led consultation and review by City committees, followed by revisions based on the feedback, and then City-led engagement, prior to being presented to Council for consideration of approval.


City-led Consultation

City-led consultation on the revised plan has now concluded. The City-led consultation is intended to offer the opportunity for public input before the project proposal is finalized and presented to Council for consideration of approval.

The final staff report to Council will include a summary of the feedback received during both the applicant and City-led consultation processes, as well as any feedback submitted directly to staff during the project review process. This report will be posted on this page once it is available.


Applicant-led Consultation

The applicants hosted a virtual open house on October 5, 2022. Attendees were given an opportunity to learn more about the project, provide comments, and ask questions. Survey responses and written feedback were accepted until October 12, 2022. The consultation activities as well as a summary of the questions and comments received will be made publicly available in a forthcoming report to Council (not yet scheduled).

What We Heard

Six attendees were present at the virtual open house, and no survey responses were received by the applicant. Feedback expressed at the open house primarily related to:

  • Impact of proposed development on properties across the lane and consideration of incorporating more landscaping for privacy;
  • Concerns about parking and traffic;
  • Preference for more contemporary architecture styles;
  • Concerns about density of the project.

Applicant Response and Revisions

In response to consultation, committee, and City feedback, some examples of changes made by the applicant to their proposal include:

  • Providing additional trees in the yards along the lane for more buffering;
  • Providing updated renderings showing how the proposed development relates to existing dwellings;
  • Relocating the garbage room to a more central location to provide more convenient access for residents;
  • Incorporating a bike wash and maintenance room in the underground parkade.


Project Update, May 11, 2023: City-led Consultation for this project has now concluded. Feedback received from the community will be shared back here, and with Council as they consider this application for consideration of approval at a later date.

What's being proposed?

Rezoning and Development Permit applications have been received for 102-128 East Eighth Avenue and 721 Cumberland Street in the McBride-Sapperton neighbourhood. The proposed development includes 55 infill townhouse units with an overall floor space ratio (FSR) of 1.0 across eight buildings. The buildings would be oriented parallel to East Eighth Avenue on both sides of a central pedestrian courtyard. The development includes 93 off-street parking spaces (86 resident stalls and six visitor stalls within an underground parkade, and one loading stall off the lane). A total of 69 long-term bicycle storage spaces and six short-term bicycle spaces for visitors are also proposed. This project is consistent with the site’s Residential – Ground Oriented Infill Housing (RGO) designation in the Official Community Plan.

Click here to view revised drawings of the proposed application. You can also view drawings of the original proposal here.


How can I engage?

There are multiple opportunities for the public to provide feedback through the application review process. The review process is iterative and revisions are considered, based on engagement feedback, throughout the process. The process will first involve applicant-led consultation and review by City committees, followed by revisions based on the feedback, and then City-led engagement, prior to being presented to Council for consideration of approval.


City-led Consultation

City-led consultation on the revised plan has now concluded. The City-led consultation is intended to offer the opportunity for public input before the project proposal is finalized and presented to Council for consideration of approval.

The final staff report to Council will include a summary of the feedback received during both the applicant and City-led consultation processes, as well as any feedback submitted directly to staff during the project review process. This report will be posted on this page once it is available.


Applicant-led Consultation

The applicants hosted a virtual open house on October 5, 2022. Attendees were given an opportunity to learn more about the project, provide comments, and ask questions. Survey responses and written feedback were accepted until October 12, 2022. The consultation activities as well as a summary of the questions and comments received will be made publicly available in a forthcoming report to Council (not yet scheduled).

What We Heard

Six attendees were present at the virtual open house, and no survey responses were received by the applicant. Feedback expressed at the open house primarily related to:

  • Impact of proposed development on properties across the lane and consideration of incorporating more landscaping for privacy;
  • Concerns about parking and traffic;
  • Preference for more contemporary architecture styles;
  • Concerns about density of the project.

Applicant Response and Revisions

In response to consultation, committee, and City feedback, some examples of changes made by the applicant to their proposal include:

  • Providing additional trees in the yards along the lane for more buffering;
  • Providing updated renderings showing how the proposed development relates to existing dwellings;
  • Relocating the garbage room to a more central location to provide more convenient access for residents;
  • Incorporating a bike wash and maintenance room in the underground parkade.

Ask a Question about 102-128 East Eighth Avenue & 721 Cumberland Street

Have a question about 8102-128 East Eighth Avenue & 721 Cumberland Street? Add it here and we will aim to reply within five business days. For more complex questions or multiple queries, the response process may require additional time as we prepare a comprehensive answer. In these cases, we will aim to get back to you within 10 business days and kindly request your patience as we do so. If we think your question would be of interest to others, we'll post your question and our response here. Thanks!

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  • Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link

    RE: the small-scale traffic study, during what months/time period was the traffic study completed? Was it during summer months when schools/universities were closed, after the Canada Games Pool closed, during the Covid Pandemic months when many commuters were working remotely? All of these factors led to reduced traffic in the area. This is a huge change for this neighbourhood and a larger scale traffic study should be requested by City staff and council before they consider approving this proposed project.

    bmjt asked about 1 year ago

    Hello, thank you for taking the time to send in your question. Data collection for the small-scale transportation review was conducted in September 2021 after schools and classes resumed session. The review also compared the traffic counts with available data from 2019, and found the 2021 counts were on average 7% lower than the 2019 counts, but within a reasonable daily variation. For this development, a small-scale transportation review was provided as part of the application; however, the resulting net increase in vehicle trips is considered below the City’s typical threshold for triggering a transportation review.

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    Are you able to provide an estimate when the City will be commencing the City - Led Consultation indicated per the Development Review Timelines shown for this project .

    Jon asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your question – City-Led Consultation is anticipated to take place sometime in April/May. Once confirmed, the Be Heard page will be updated with more information including a survey. Postcard notifications will be sent out to properties located within 100 metres of the subject site, and there will also be advertisements through Citypage (online) and in The Record (print copy).

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    Will this be strata or rental homes?

    Kitten07 asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your question – this application is proposing stratified townhouse units. Strata units are owned by individuals and typically involve strata fees to maintain common areas. 

    As part of the City’s Infill Housing Program, both townhouses (strata title developments) and rowhouses (fee simple developments – no strata) are permitted under the site’s Residential – Ground Oriented Infill Housing (RGO) designation.

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    How are the parties going to address the increased traffic in an already overly congested area. Especially now with a bike lane on 6th taking away a vehicle lane in a high traffic corridor.

    happynewwestie asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your feedback and question. This townhouse development application included a privately commissioned small-scale transportation review, which has been provided to Transportation Division staff for review. General findings show that the proposed development would generate an estimated increase of approximately one additional vehicle trip every three minutes on average during the peak hours compared to existing conditions. 

     Opportunities for multi-modal transportation improvements are also being reviewed through this application and in consideration of future roadway and intersection improvement measures identified in the Sapperton & Massey-Victory Heights Transportation Plan.

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    I would hope the review/design panel will reduce the number of units in this application. With 55 units and the possibility of 2 cars or more belonging to each unit there will be an unacceptable traffic and congestion issue stemming from this project.

    rosewood asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your feedback on this application. The overall proposed density of this development is currently in keeping with the density allowances of the Infill Townhouse and Rowhouse Residential (RT) zone. As part of this proposal, the applicant has privately commissioned a small-scale transportation review, which has been provided to Transportation Division staff for review. General findings show that the proposed development would generate an estimated increase of approximately one additional vehicle trip every three minutes on average during the peak hours compared to existing conditions. 

    Opportunities for multi-modal transportation improvements are also being reviewed through this application and in consideration of future roadway and intersection improvement measures identified in the Sapperton & Massey-Victory Heights Transportation Plan.

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    The minutes from the Dec 13th, 2022 New Westminster Design Panel Presentation/Review ,can you advise when they will be posted on line ?

    Jon asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your inquiry. The minutes would need to be adopted by the New Westminster Design Panel before they can be posted. Usually minutes are placed on the agenda of the next meeting for consideration of adoption.

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    With respect to some of the various reports issued to the Land Use Committee and Council to date, can you please provide clarification regarding statements and the difference between RGO and RT land use designations? The OCP is clear and the corresponding OCP land use map envisioned this block as a RGO (residential ground oriented) future development zone not RT, which is being proposed in this 55 Unit development. The OCP provides some text and some visuals qualifying the difference between RGO versus RT types of housing forms. (Reference: New West OCP-Mainland Land Use Designations (page 4)) But, with respect to density of a development designated as RGO versus RT it seems rather nebulous.

    Jon asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your question regarding this project. As you note, the subject sites are designated RGO – Residential Ground Oriented in the Official Community Plan. The RGO designation is intended to allow consideration of a wide variety of ground oriented housing forms and as such the designation makes reference to single detached dwellings, duplexes, triplexes, quadraplexes, townhouses, rowhouses and other equivalent ground oriented housing forms. The RT – Residential Infill Townhouse designation differs in that it does not allow as much flexibility and is limited to townhouse and rowhouse building forms. These designations have some overlap in building forms which could be considered as both would allow for consideration of townhouses and rowhouses. The land use designation do not speak to density, but instead outline possible building form.

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    Currently 8th avenue is already very congested and unsafe for people to cross. There are vehicles don't even stop at pedestrian controlled lights. With this additional 96 new development, the noise and conjection will become even worse. How do you address this issue?

    Ladybugbc asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your questions and feedback regarding the project. This 55 unit townhouse development application has privately commissioned a small-scale transportation review which has been provided to Transportation Division staff for review. The general findings of the review show that the proposed development is estimated to generate a total of 29 vehicle trips in the AM peak hour and 27 vehicle trips in the PM peak hour. With the existing single detached dwellings on the site generating 7 and 6 vehicle trips during these periods, respectively, the net change is expected to be 22 and 21 vehicle trips for the AM and PM peak hours. This represents an increase of approximately one additional vehicle trip every three minutes on average in the peak hours compared to existing conditions. The net increase in vehicle trips is below the City’s typical threshold for triggering a transportation review; however, the applicant still provided the small-scale transportation review.

    Existing conditions, site design and multi-modal transportation improvements are also being reviewed through this application and in consideration of the City’s Master Transportation Plan and the Sapperton & Massey-Victory Heights Transportation Plan, which identify future roadway and intersection improvement measures. 

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    What about the width of the lane? The traffic will be greatly increased with 55 units and all the cars they will have. Their lowball traffic analysis should not be believed. 55 units with families in them and having at least one car and probably two each, there will be more than an extra 21 trips per hour in the morning and evening rush. The lane is greatly exaggerated in the architect drawings. They show a two lane roadway. This is completely false. There are telepohne poles running down the lane on the north side. There is only 10 feet between some of the poles and the property across the lane, others may have 11 feet. The development plans call for a lane to a standard width of 6.0m/19.7 feet. This fact was brought up to the developers at their open house meeting. The developers were not aware of this and under the impression that the lane was already 6.0m wide, and it is not. When asked if the other 3 meters was going to come from their development they replied that they had not been asked to give up any land to the lane. Has this issue been examined? Telephone poles will need to be moved and the north side of the lane pushed up 3-4 meters into their development to give the width of the lane they propose.

    TAK asked over 1 year ago

    Thank you for your feedback and questions regarding the proposed development, and our apologies for the delay in getting back to you. In terms of road widths, including lanes, they are measured from property line to property line. The width of the lane that runs behind the subject site is currently 5.5 metres. There will be some minor lane widening as part of the proposed development’s off-site works to help improve laneway conditions. While utility servicing is normally expected to be underground, staff will be working with the applicant to look at options for the overhead lines that currently serve nearby properties (e.g. relocation) through detailed design.

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    How will area residents be informed of the City Led consultation? Will there be flyers and information left on doors and in mailboxes?

    TAK asked over 1 year ago

    Hi there and thanks for the question. For the City-led consultation, postcard notifications will be mailed out to properties located within 100 metres of the subject site. The opportunity to provide feedback will also be advertised more broadly through Citypage (online) and in The Record (print copy), each Thursday during the consultation period.

Page last updated: 16 Apr 2024, 05:02 PM