GWL has submitted their formal rezoning application for 1220 Station Street, following a formal announcement earlier this year that they were pivoting from the previously approved office building proposal. GWL acquired the site from Rize Alliance.
The current proposal is two rental towers, 36 & 28-storeys, as well as retail, office, and residential uses in an an 8-storey podium. Overall, the proposal includes:
470 units with 20% of the floor area for below-market rental units;
The 3.1 acre combined site is located within the Rupert Renfrew Plan area, and is bound by Kaslo Street, Renfrew Street, Broadway and 10th Avenue.
The proposal is to allow for the development of four residential towers, containing condos, rentals and below market rentals, as well as retail and daycare space.
Details include:
1,959 residential units; with
1,386 condo units;
573 rental units with 20% of the floor area for below-market units;
Commercial space, a 73-space private child care, and amenities on the ground floor;
a total density of 10.5 FSR; and
Building heights ranging from 537 ft. to 618 ft..
The plan is for a four phase development with a tower in each phase.
While the site falls within the province’s Transit-Oriented Area (TOA) policy—permitting up to 12 storeys and 4.0 FAR—the applicant aims to achieve 3.84 FAR within only 6-storeys, leading to design challenges due to the site’s limited size and frontage. The proposal does not meet current zoning (CRM-2) requirements for lot size, frontage, or canopy coverage and has not yet fulfilled the City’s Inclusionary Zoning policy for affordable housing.
Development Proposal Summary:
Residential Units: 52 total units
6 proposed as below-market rentals (subject to viability review)
100% adaptable units
Retail: 15,317 SF
Parking: 71 vehicle spaces
33 residential, 10 visitor, 28 commercial
98 bicycle spaces (80 long-term, 18 short-term)
Building Height: 6 storeys + rooftop patio
Despite some alignment with broader planning goals, concerns were raised by the Land Use Committee regarding the project’s non-compliance with CRM-2 zoning parameters, limited lot area, lack of sufficient tree canopy coverage, potential traffic impacts on St. Andrews Street, and the bulky building form. Staff also flagged that the proposal would likely require further amendments or acquisition of adjacent parcels to meet design, environmental, and livability expectations. The developer has also requested flexibility on delivering affordable housing, which is under review and subject to third-party verification.
A rezoning application has been submitted by Bonnis Properties for a 30, 300 SF site that they own in the 600 block of Kingsway at East 16th Avenue, just West of Fraser Street.
The proposal is to allow for the development of two rental towers with a combined 327 units: a 14-storeys (North Tower) and a 25-storeys (South Tower). Additional details include:
120 market rental units (North Tower) and 207 market rental units (South Tower) with20% of the total residential floor area for below-market units;
18,000 SF of retail space;
a private 20-space childcare facility;
a total density of 8.50 FSR;
A building height of 167 ft. for the North Tower, and 276 ft. for the South Tower.
This application is being considered under the Broadway Plan.
