Bosa Properties, in partnership with Kingswood Properties, have now formally applied to rezone the property at 1500 West Georgia Street. The anticipated “Jenga” building was initially released to the media a year ago, but now is an official application. The project is planned for the plaza next to the existing office tower at Georgia and Cardero, which Bosa acquired in 2014 for $120,500,000.
The proposal, by renowned German architect Buro Ole Schereen, is for a 43-storey residential development adjacent to the existing office building. The proposal includes:
- 217 condo units (over 65% with 2-bedrooms or more)
- 282,452 SF of new floor area;
- a total density of 11.47 FSR
- 496,452 SF gross across the entire site (including the existing office building);
- total height of 440 feet
- a restaurant at the corner of Georgia and Nicola streets; and
- 7 levels of underground parking.
The Letter of Intent attached to the application describes the project:
“Located on West Georgia Street, the tower stands as a beacon at the entrance to Downtown Vancouver from the North Shore and Stanley Park and forms an urban pivot at the junction where the city’s grid splices and begins to expand. A system of vertically shifted apartment modules enables dynamic yet rational layouts for residences while the rotation of modular elements extends living spaces to introduce the concept of horizontal living in a slender high-rise. The resulting multiple terraces offer physical and emotional connectivity between the indoor and outdoor environment. The vertical offset of the apartment modules minimizes the footprint of the tower and liberates the ground to provide an open plaza for the public realm. An amplified reinterpretation of the existing water cascade along West Georgia builds on the strong architectural heritage of the site, while multiple crossing paths ensure urban permeability. Public amenities around the central plaza and extensive waterscape engage the community and contribute to the network of downtown green and public space.”
This rezoning is being considered under the Rezoning Policy for the West End, which was adopted as part of the West End Community Plan in 2014, and was largely the rationale for Bosa’s acquisition of the site that year.The local architect for the project is Francl Architecture.
The full rezoning application can be found here: http://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/1500wgeorgia/index.htm
