A longtime Port Moody construction company is looking to take the live/work idea to a new level as it plans its new headquarters in the city's downtown.
Steve Hawboldt, the president of Yellowridge Construction, said his company wants to build a new four-storey mixed-use project at the corner of Clarke and Mary streets that would include three floors of office space as well as 6,300 sq. ft. of retail space on the ground floor along with three studio apartments that would be rented out as short-term living space for his employees.
In a pre-application presentation to council on Tuesday (Jan. 17), Hawboldt said his company that's been in Port Moody since 1961 needs space to grow.
But it wants to stay in the city where it currently occupies two aging buildings at the same location where the new headquarters would be constructed.
He said along with a technology company he also operates, the project has the potential to become a "business-technology hub."
While a staff report generally supported the proposal, Port Moody development planner Wesley Woo told council the project's density "may be overbuilt for the site."
Several councillors, though, lauded the near 200 jobs it would accommodate as just the kind of project Port Moody needs in its downtown area, close to the Moody Centre SkyTrain station.
In fact, Coun. Callan Morrison suggested the proponent might even consider adding a fifth floor, seeing as the city's official community plan already allows for six storeys at that location.
"I like the idea of the office space," he said. "There is already going to be a lot of housing coming along Clarke Street."
Coun. Diana Dilworth said, while she was initially taken aback by the three studio apartments for use by employees, they "make sense because we don't have a hotel in this city."
Coun. Kyla Knowles pointed out that even though the project is proposing fewer parking spots that would be required by zoning for the property, she's okay with that because of its proximity to transit.
"People who work in this office should take SkyTrain to get there."
For the project to proceed, it will require rezoning of the site from commercial to comprehensive development.
