New 20-storey rental housing tower with heritage preservation near First Shaugnessy in Vancouver

A plan to build a 20-storey rental housing tower in Vancouver’s Fairview neighbourhood incorporates a significant heritage preservation component.

Toronto-based Fiera Real Estate Investments has submitted a new rezoning application to provide new verticality on the site of the 1932-built The Grange apartment building at 1395 West 14th Avenue, which is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Hemlock Street and West 14th Avenue.

The site is about a 12-minute walk north to SkyTrain’s future South Granville Station (Granville Street and West Broadway) and just one city block away from Granville Street’s frequent north-south bus routes.

The two-storey The Grange—deemed to be a Class C heritage building under the City of Vancouver’s Heritage Register—will be largely preserved and retained. It will also receive seismic upgrades and have its heritage facade fronting Hemlock Street and West 14th Avenue restored.

Currently, The Grange contains 24 apartment units, but this will be reduced to 18 units within about 24,200 sq ft after a portion of the building’s innards fronting the laneway and the adjacent property is demolished to accommodate the new 233-ft-tall tower.

Also, as part of the development site for the required tower footprint, the adjacent 1912-built, three-storey building at 1375 West 14th Avenue, which has eight apartment units, will be demolished.

Existing condition:

Future condition:

The Grange is considered an excellent example of the British Arts and Crafts architectural style with Tudor Revival influences. The area’s heritage character and typology come from its very close proximity to Vancouver’s historic First Shaughnessy neighbourhood, which is just one city block away.

“Its asymmetric primary facades, wall dormers with half-timbering woodwork, brick cladding, multi-pane windows, and picturesque roofline contrast with the utilitarian flat roof structure above,” reads Shape Architecture’s description of The Grange in the rezoning application.

“The Grange represents early densification, as people moved to the area for employment. The British Arts and Crafts style was often used for estate mansions and apartment blocks, reflecting the social, cultural, and aesthetic values of its inhabitants.”

Existing condition:

Future condition:

Shape Architecture notes that its new-build tower design deliberately creates a contrast between the old and new.

The facade of the new tower takes inspiration from First Nations cedar basket weaving, achieved by alternating the curved recessed balconies at each level.

Furthermore, the angled tower facade is oriented towards the intersection, and the high-ceiling shared amenity level between the heritage structure and the tower creates further contrast.

“In addition to preserving a significant portion of the existing building, the proposed project deliberately dissociates the new tower from the retained building, allowing the original expression of the heritage building to remain intact,” states the application.

“The angled face of the tower further separates the new building from the existing, creating the illusion from certain views that it is a separate building sitting behind the existing building.”

The fourth level amenity area, which is split between the new and old, contains both indoor and outdoor spaces. Other amenity spaces can be found on the second level (indoor) and the tower rooftop (both indoor and outdoor).

There will be 203 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 18 retained heritage units within The Grange. Following the stipulations of the City’s Broadway Plan, at least 20% of the units will be set aside for below-market rental housing, with the remainder as market rental housing.

The project contains no studios to offer a higher proportion of family-sized units (defined as units with at least two bedrooms); the unit size mix is 49 one-bedroom units, 48 two-bedroom units, and 20 three-bedroom units.

Fiera Real Estate Investments has partnered with Colliers Strategy & Consulting and the BC Indigenous Housing Society, which provided input for the project’s Indigenous design considerations and enables an “opportunity to build First Nations-focused housing.” The building will also have a high degree of accessible design considerations, which will be certified by the Rick Hansen Foundation. The landscape architectural firm is PMG Landscape Architects.

To better ensure the project’s financial viability, the proponents are seeking additional density — a floor area ratio (FAR) density of a floor area that is 7.2 times larger than the 18,750 sq ft land assembly, instead of the Broadway Plan’s prescription of 6.5 FAR for sites in the area. This translates into 135,000 sq ft of FAR density, with the figure growing to 228,000 sq ft with common space exclusions are accounted for.

There will be four underground levels, with 75 vehicle parking stalls situated within P1, P2, and P3. Over 520 secured bike parking spaces will be accommodated within a major portion of the ground level and the entirety of P0.

“Redevelopment of this high-profile Heritage site offers potential community benefit in the provision of affordable and rental housing and for the anticipated growth in the Broadway area,” reads the application.

“The site is currently surrounded by a range of developments of differing scales, which have been constructed at various points over the years. The proposal achieves the necessary separation from adjacent buildings that has been stipulated during meetings with the City of Vancouver. The scheme intends to retain the west and south portions of the heritage building.”

Fiera Real Estate Investments has owned The Grange since 2016. In June 2024, it acquired the adjacent smaller 1912-built structure for $7.3 million to expand the development footprint.

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