The formal rezoning application for PCI‘s Spring Street application has been released. The preliminary application for the 2.9 acre site was submitted in 2023 and has now been revised for full submission following the TOA legislation.

The site is located east of the Moody Centre SkyTrain Station north of Spring Street and east of Williams Street and consists of four lots, three of which are owned by PCI and the fourth by the Ministry of the Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI). MoTI intends to retain ownership of this lot, with a long-term lease to PCI for use as a plaza along with four levels of below-grade parking connected to the below grade parking on the PCI owned properties.

The overall plan for the site includes:

• 865 rental units including 44 below market units;
• 67,000 SF of commercial space including a 41,000 SF grocery store;
• a total density of 6.96 FSR;
• 4,000 SF as ground level ‘artist space’;
• a new pedestrian overpass;
• a minimum of 400 parking stalls.

The architect for the project is Perkins + Will.

The City of Vancouver has released a report outlining the next phases of planning for the ‘Village’ areas identified in the adopted 2022 Vancouver Plan.

The Vancouver Plan identified 25 Village areas, primarily centred on existing smaller commercial centres around arterial intersections throughout the City, for increased density and expanded commercial area.

Geographic Scope

Eight of the Village areas are now identified to be part of alternative or future planning work, including:

• Three full and two partial Villages will be reviewed in the Rupert and Renfrew Station Area planning program;
• Three Villages will be incorporated into a future area planning program for Main and Fraser Streets, including Punjabi Market;
• One Village (Yew Street / West 1st Avenue) will be incorporated into future planning for neighbourhood centres; and
• One Village (Knight Street / East 57th Avenue) is identified in the Vancouver Plan as a Special Study Area and will need to be considered through a future planning program.

The remaining 17 villages are identified in blue on the map below:

Rezoning Potential

The planning focus is on enabling “missing middle” and housing “up to 6-storeys”, with a focus on rental and below-market rental housing where economically feasible. In addition, the program will maintain or enable expansion of zoning permitting mixed-use buildings that deliver additional commercial space in Villages.

The City anticipates the majority of sites will be rezoned through city initiated rezonings, rather than on a site by site basis.

Interim rezonings will generally not be considered unless it involves social housing or seniors housing.

Timeline

The planning work for the Villages is expected to take approximately 18 months, with a Final Land Use Plan presented to Council in Q1 or Q2 2026.

The full report can be viewed here: https://council.vancouver.ca/20241022/documents/r1.pdf