Millennium Development has submitted a revised rezoning application for their site at 2158–2170 West 1st Avenue in Kitsilano, near the corner of Yew Street. The site was the subject of a 20-storey, 185-unit rental tower proposal in 2024, and that scheme was approved earlier this year. The new application is an amendment to add 6 floors and convert some of the space to hotel.

The 20,980 SF site is in the Kitsilano North – Area B policy area of the Broadway Plan. The revised proposal calls for a 26-storey mixed-use building over five levels of underground parking and includes:

• 121 secured rental units, made up of 97 market rental units and 24 below-market units (20% of dwelling unit area);
• 99 hotel rooms;
• 6,294 SF of ground-floor commercial space, split into three retail units;
• A total density of 8.73 FSR (183,200 SF total);
• A building height of 301 ft., plus additional height for rooftop amenity and mechanical space.

How the Floors Are Organized

The podium holds retail and the lobbies at grade, with below-market rental on levels 2 and 3 and market rental on level 4. Level 5 is an amenity floor that includes hotel check-in. Levels 6 through 16 are hotel, and market rental sits above on levels 17 to 25, topped by a rooftop amenity level and a mechanical floor. The hotel makes up 77,611 SF of the total, and the residential component is 99,295 SF.

How It Compares to the Approved Scheme

The rental unit count drops by 64 units, or about 35%, while height rises by roughly 89 ft. and density by 1.93 FSR. The hotel rooms bring the total to 220 keys.

The Applicant’s Rationale

The application is being considered under the Broadway Plan and asks the City to consider height and density beyond current policy. Hotel use is not listed in the KKNB policy table. The applicant argues it is a minor geographic extension of hotel uses already contemplated in the adjacent KW4A and KKNC policy areas, within three blocks of the site, and that the added tower levels align with the Residential High-Rise 1 designation in the new Official Development Plan, which allows up to 26 storeys. The booklet also notes the Hotel Development Policy’s stated need for more hotel rooms across the city.

The typical tower floorplate grows to about 6,923 SF to fit a third elevator, up from the 6,800 SF the referral report had described as supportable.

Process

The full rezoning application can be viewed here: https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/2158-2170-w-1-ave-3

A corner mixed-use building in East Vancouver’s Cedar Cottage neighbourhood has sold for $3,700,000. 3589–3599 Commercial Street is located at the corner of Commercial Street and East 20th Avenue.

Sale Details

• Sale price: $3,700,000
• Price per SF: $617
• Cap rate: approx. 5.3% (based on marketing NOI of $195,000)
• Building size: 6,000 SF
• Lot size: 4,182 SF

About the Property

The two-storey building has four ground-floor commercial units and four residential units above: three two-bedroom suites and one one-bedroom plus den. Lennard Commercial Realty marketed it as fully leased, with two commercial tenants each occupying two units and four residential tenants. The building was renovated in 2012. Residential tenants pay their own heat and hot water, and each suite has in-suite laundry. The corner lot carries a heritage-style look, and it sits within walking distance of Trout Lake Community Centre and John Hendry Park.

Pricing in Context

Lennard listed the property at $3,890,000, which was a 5.01% cap rate on the marketing NOI. The final price came in about 4.9% below the list price. The sale price was also slightly above the 2026 assessed value of $3,660,000. Allon Shapiro and Ari Gelmon of Lennard Commercial Realty represented the vendor.

What It Means for the Market

Small, fully leased mixed-use buildings on Commercial Street are a tightly held product type, and this sale gives a fresh data point for East Vancouver street-front investments. A sub-$4 million price, a cap rate above 5% and a walkable, community-oriented location drew buyer interest in a market where yields on Vancouver retail have been compressed.

Looking at selling a mixed-use or retail property in East Vancouver? Contact David Taylor at Colliers for an opinion of current market value.