Over three years ago, a development permit application was submitted to redevelop 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood into a five-storey building, with 48 strata market ownership condominium homes and nearly 3,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant space.
This site is located at the the southwest corner of the intersection of Arbutus Street and West 10th Avenue — a three-minute walk from the future SkyTrain Arbutus Station and 99 B-Line bus exchange.
Currently, the site is occupied by a 1952-built, single-storey warehouse building, previously used as a car repair shop, but now vacant and used as a seasonal Spirit Halloween store.
The previous 2021 concept for a five-storey building was proposed prior to the City of Vancouver’s 2022-finalized Broadway Plan, which now enables residential uses of up to 20 storeys for the site — far exceeding the existing zoning allowances for a building of no more than 60 ft.
A new rezoning application by Bastion Development, following the prescriptions and stipulations of the Broadway Plan, now proposes to generate a 219-ft-tall, 20-storey mixed-use tower.
Site of 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, and its walking distance from SkyTrain’s future Arbutus Station. (Google Maps)
Site of 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Google Maps)
Previous 2021 proposal for a five-storey building:
Previous 2021 concept for a five-storey building at 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Stephane Laroye Architect)
2024 proposal for a 20-storey building:
2024 concept for a 20-storey tower at 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis Architects/Bastion Development)
As well, as another key project difference, the 20-storey tower proposal will retain the large Scotch elm tree fronting the property on West 10th Avenue. The tree is estimated to be about 90 years old.
The previous five-storey proposal attracted some opposition for its strategy to cut the tree down. Instead, the current plan to retain the tree will include some pruning to reduce the size of the crown and its impact on the building’s lower levels.
The residential component is still 100% strata market ownership condominium use, but the number of units has grown to 86 units. There are relatively few homes in a tower of this size as all of these units will be larger homes, 100% sized for families — defined as units with at least two or more bedrooms. No studios or one-bedroom units are proposed; the unit size mix is 72 two-bedroom units and 12 units with three or more bedrooms.
2024 concept for a 20-storey tower at 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis Architects/Bastion Development)
2024 concept for a 20-storey tower at 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis Architects/Bastion Development)
2024 concept for a 20-storey tower at 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis Architects/Bastion Development)
“The upper levels are thoughtfully designed to cater to various lifestyles, with smaller units on floors four to six offering cozy living spaces, and floors seven to sixteen featuring typical spacious five-unit floor plans with expansive outdoor living areas,” reads the application by Arcadis Architects.
“At the rooftop, four levels of large family units crown the building, serving as a sculptural termination of the massing while providing ample space for families to enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.”
Residents will have access to indoor and outdoor amenity spaces. As well, private patio spaces in the units will feature a retractable glass system to create an enclosure, enabling year-round use of the outdoor living space.
2024 concept for a 20-storey tower at 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis Architects/Bastion Development)
2024 concept for a 20-storey tower at 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis Architects/Bastion Development)
2024 concept for a 20-storey tower at 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis Architects/Bastion Development)
The total building floor area will reach nearly 120,000 sq ft, including almost 4,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses fronting Arbutus Street. This establishes a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 6.9 times larger than the size of the 17,200 sq ft lot.
While the Broadway Plan has triggered many high-rise residential tower proposals, the overwhelming majority of these projects are secured purpose-built rental housing. This tower proposal for 2150 West 10th Avenue represents just one of the very few strata market ownership condominium tower proposals within the Broadway Plan area.
As of July 2024: High-rise tower proposals near SkyTrain’s future Arbutus Station and South Granville Station within the Broadway Plan, including 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis Architects/Bastion Development)
2024 concept for a 20-storey tower at 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis Architects/Bastion Development)
The area around the future Arbutus Station is already one of the largest clusters for tower proposals, as permitted by the Broadway Plan to stimulate transit-oriented development.
Although there is a significant and sustained demand for rental housing, strata market ownership condominium projects are also needed for the major community amenity contributions (CACs) they can generate, which help cover the cost of providing the Broadway Plan’s densified areas with much-needed amenities. In contrast, rental housing and affordable housing projects produce limited public amenities.
2024 concept for a 20-storey tower at 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis Architects/Bastion Development)
2024 concept for a 20-storey tower at 2120-2150 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis Architects/Bastion Development)