A development application has been submitted for the Southwest corner of Robson and Seymour Streets in Downtown Vancouver. The site was sold in 2018 for $40 Million to Bonnis Properties. The existing building is an older single storey retail building.

The application for the site is for a new 13-storey, commercial building. The proposal consists of the following:

• • 61,700 SF of office space;
  • 4,300 SF of retail space;
  • amenity space including outdoor terrace, gyms and yoga area on the 6th floor;
  • a building height of approximately 215 ft.;
  • a total density of 5.5 FSR;
  • all over 3 levels of underground parking accessed from Seymour Street through a shared access agreement with Capitol Residences.

The application describes the design rationale: “A number of strategies are employed to create a respectful and considerate massing.

The building reduces in width along the Robson Street frontage to limit the width of the building facing neighbors. The overall composition of the building is arranged as three elements, each responding to the conditions around them.

At the lower levels, retail uses line the street and will extend down Seymour Street at the corner. With the addition of a public plaza along Seymour that creates an entry to the office lobby, a high degree of transparency and a number of access points creating a welcoming frontage, an improved public realm, and renewed set of commercial uses will reinvigorate the site. Importantly, the building configuration creates a three-sided storefront that addresses the significance of the corner.

An outdoor amenity terrace is arranged on the second level of the building, overlooking Robson and Seymour Streets, which is accessible by all building users. Clearly visible and legible from the street, the activation of a second floor use is intended to improve the experience in the public realm. The existing large oak trees on Robson Street
encroach beyond the property line, and the building massing responds to accommodate their continued life on the street.

At the middle section of the building, larger floor office spaces are provided, is set off from the adjacent building to the south, providing a welcome interruption in a city block that is highly regular and large (Orpheum Theatre and Capitol Residences). Setting the massing off the party wall allows the floor space to benefit from greater access to daylight and air, with the space between the new space and party wall acting as a light well. A vegetated wall is introduced in the interstitial space, which covers the existing blank party wall of the neighboring building to the south. Introducing meaningful landscape downtown is intended as a public amenity and as an unexpected addition of nature downtown.”

Under the site’s existing DD zoning, the application is “conditional” so it may be permitted; however, it requires the decision of the Development Permit Board.

The architect for the project is Perkins + Will.

The full development application can be viewed here: https://development.vancouver.ca/600robson/index.htm

Onni has submitted their rezoning and development permit application a large scale mixed-use development on a primarily vacant site at the Southeast corner Pinetree Way and Glen Drive in Coquitlam City Centre. The 2.7 acre site is vacant and was partially previously owned by the City of Coquitlam. The site sits just 500 feet from Lincoln Skytrain Station.

Directly to the East is another application for a 40-storey tower by Polygon at 1108 Westwood Street. The two sites were acquired via public sale of the lands in 2016.

The site can be rezoned per the City Centre Area Plan from City Centre
Commercial (C-4) and One-Family Residential (RS-l) to CD-11 Comprehensive
Development (CD-ll), based on the C-4 Zone, and the overall development plan includes three residential towers over retail and office space. Details include:

• Towers of 49, 45 and 25-storeys above a podium;
• 891 residential units
  • 705 condos;
    • 321 one-bedrooms, 289 two-bedrooms & 95 three-bedrooms;
  • 186 market rental units;
    • 40 studios, 66 one-bedrooms, 49 two-bedrooms & 31 three-bedrooms;
• 17,000 SF of retail space;
• 46,520 SF of office space on floors 2-5 of the podium;
• a total density of 7.32 FAR;
• total tower heights of 514 ft, 472 ft and 258 ft. respectively;
• 67,000 SF of common amenity space;
• An 8,500 SF daycare;
• 1,329 parking spaces;
• $31 Million in density bonus funds and CACs.

The architect for the project is Cicozzi Architecture.

Westbank has submitted their rezoning application for 720 Beatty Street, the Central Heat site located at the Southeast corner of West Georgia Street and Beatty Street in Downtown Vancouver. The site sits adjacent BC Place. The site was acquired as part of the Creative Energy purchase and rebranding five years ago. The Beatty Street site, which totals 51,820 SF, has been deemed surplus and suitable for commercial redevelopment.

The proposal is for a unique 17-storey office tower that includes:

• 515,150 SF of office space;
  • 35,000 SF average tower floorplates;
• 18,503 SF of retail space;
• a total building height of 263.8 ft;
• a total density of 11.55 FSR;
• a 5-storey retail and entertainment pavilion fronting Georgia Street;
• an upgrade to the creative energy plant;
• 4 levels of underground parking; 358 parking spaces and 
  325 bicycle spaces.

The application describes part of the rezoning rationale as follows: “This rezoning proposal seeks to repurpose these industrial lands and increase the existing allowable commercial density rights from 7 FSR (under the CBD policies) with 597,192 sq ft of office, retail and Creative Energy plant space on 720 Beatty Street. As one of the largest and only undeveloped areas in the downtown peninsula, we have an extremely rare opportunity here to not only significantly upgrade an aging steam plant, but also create an architectural landmark capable of housing large office floorplates that will draw creative economy tenants into Vancouver. This will allow our city to attract both talent and employers that would otherwise find the standard Vancouver size office floorplates and workspace offerings inadequate for their needs.”

This application is being considered under the Rezoning Policy for the Central Business District (CBD) and CBD Shoulder.

The architects for the project are Bjarke Ingles and HMCA Architecture + Design.

The full rezoning application can be viewed here: https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/720beatty2/index.htm

A rezoning application has been submitted for a site at 2810 and 2830 Grandview Highway; a 16,104 SF lot currently improved with an older 2-storey officed building on the South side of Grandview between Kaslo Street and Renfrew Street.

The plan calls to rezone from C-1 to allow for a new 6-storey rental apartment building under the Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program, which requires that 20% of the units are assigned to moderate income households.

The proposal includes:

• 57 rental units;
  • 14 studios, 23 one-bedrooms & 20 two and three-bedrooms;
• 6,990 SF of retail space at grade;
• a total density of 3.12 FSR;
• a building height of 69 ft.; 
• 41 underground parking spaces (including one car share);
• 111 bicycle spaces.

The architect for the project is MCMP Architects.

A development application has been submitted for a full city block on Dunbar Street, on the East side of Dunbar between West 39th and West 40th Avenue, which is the northern extent of the commercial strip on Dunbar in the Southlands area. The site totals 12,170 SF in size. The site is currently improved with an older single storey commercial building and a community garden. The site is zoned C-2.

The plan for redevelopment is a new 4-storey mixed use building containing commercial/retail shops on the ground level and residential above. Details include:

• 14 market condo units;
• 5,693 SF of retail space;
• A total density of 2.05 FSR;
• A building height of 48.17 ft.
• one underground level of parking, loading and bicycle parking having access from West 40th Avenue .

Under the site’s existing C-2 zoning, the application is “conditional” so it may be permitted; however, it requires the decision of the Director of Planning.

The architect for the project is Wensley Architecture.

The site was acquired in early 2018 for $15,500,000, or $677 per buildable SF based on the application.