It has been a busy month for Vancouver City Council, as it has made its first major approval wave of rezoning applications within the Broadway Plan area.
Over the four public hearings held on November 12, 14, 26, and December 10, 2024, City Council approved eight separate rezoning applications under the Broadway Plan, all of which involved high-rise towers with secured purpose-built rental housing as the primary use. These projects are also the final approvals of 2024 before the holidays.
These approvals come just over two years after the Broadway Plan came into effect on September 1, 2022, and their supporting applications were among the first to proceed into the formal rezoning application process.
All of these approved applications will generate a total of nine towers, with all of the development sites located in close walking proximity to a future station on SkyTrain Millennium Line’s Broadway extension and/or frequent bus services. Some of these projects are mixed-use, incorporating commercial retail/restaurant uses and/or a childcare facility.
Altogether, the nine towers will produce 1,479 secured purpose-built rental homes, with seven of the applications also incorporating a below-market rental housing component, based on the Broadway Plan’s prescription of setting aside at least 20% of the rental residential floor area for below-market rental housing.
Two of these applications will not displace any existing residents, as the projects will be built on development sites that currently only see commercial uses. The remaining projects will replace 156 existing homes, including eight single-family houses and 148 apartment units within old low-storey apartment buildings.
That means these nine approved applications will produce a net gain of 1,323 homes, accounting for 3.2% of the amended Broadway Plan goal of catalyzing space for 41,500 net new homes.
Here is a rundown of the nine approved rezoning applications in the Broadway Plan over the past month:
- Neighbourhood: Mount Pleasant
- Nearest cross streets/intersection: East Broadway and Fraser Street
- Transit-oriented development: 10-minute walk to SkyTrain’s future Mount Pleasant or Great Northern Way-Emily Carr stations.
- Developer/owner: Fastmark Development
- Architect: GLB Architects
- Height: 19 storeys
- Residential uses: 175 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 142 market rental units and 33 below-market rental units
- Other uses: Childcare facility for up to 25 kids
- Existing development site uses: Five single-family houses
Rezoning was approved on November 14, 2024.
Artistic rendering of 523-549 East 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (GBL Architects)
Artistic rendering of 523-549 East 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (GBL Architects)
- Neighbourhood: Mount Pleasant
- Nearest cross streets/intersection: Kingsway and Fraser Street
- Transit-oriented development: Frequent bus routes along Fraser Street and Kingsway
- Developer/owner: Qualex-Landmark
- Architect: RWA Group Architecture
- Height: 25 storeys
- Residential uses: 201 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 160 market rental units and 41 below-market rental units
- Other uses: Over 6,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses
- Existing development site uses: Strip mall, with existing businesses such as Sal Y. Limon Mexican Cuisine, Ba-le Deli & Bakery, Straight Outta Brooklyn Pizzeria, Alenka European Foods, and Discover Dogs Pet Store
Rezoning was approved on November 26, 2024.
Artistic rendering of 701 Kingsway, Vancouver. (RWA Group Architecture/Qualex-Landmark)
Artistic rendering of 701 Kingsway, Vancouver. (RWA Group Architecture/Qualex-Landmark)
- Neighbourhood: Kitsilano
- Nearest cross streets/intersection: West 14th Avenue and Yew Street
- Transit-oriented development: 10-minute walk to SkyTrain’s future Arbutus Station, and adjacent to Arbutus Street bus services
- Developer/owner: Havn
- Architect: Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership
- Height: 18 storeys
- Residential uses: 171 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 137 market rental units and 34 below-market rental units
- Other uses: n/a
- Existing development site uses: Three single-family houses
Rezoning was approved on November 26, 2024.
Artistic rendering of 2156-2172 West 14th Avenue, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Havn)
Artistic rendering of 2156-2172 West 14th Avenue, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Havn)
- Neighbourhood: Kitsilano
- Nearest cross streets/intersection: West 7th Avenue and Yew Street
- Transit-oriented development: 5-minute walk to SkyTrain’s future Arbutus Station, 99 B-Line to UBC, and near Arbutus Street and West 4th Avenue bus routes
- Developer/owner: Gracorp Properties
- Architect: GBL Architects
- Height: 20 storeys
- Residential uses: 182 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 147 market rental units and 35 below-market rental units
- Other uses: n/a
- Existing development site uses: 35 apartment units
Rezoning was approved on November 26, 2024.
Artistic rendering of 2175 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver. (GBL Architects/Gracorp Properties)
Artistic rendering of 2175 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver. (GBL Architects/Gracorp Properties)
- Neighbourhood: Kitsilano
- Nearest cross streets/intersection: West 7th Avenue and Yew Street
- Transit-oriented development: 5-minute walk to SkyTrain’s future Arbutus Station, 99 B-Line to UBC, and near Arbutus Street and West 4th Avenue bus routes
- Developer/owner: Gracorp Properties
- Architect: Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership
- Height: 21 storeys
- Residential uses: 183 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 146 market rental units and 37 below-market rental units
- Other uses: n/a
- Existing development site uses: 35 apartment units
Rezoning was approved on November 26, 2024.
Artistic rendering of 1960 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Gracorp Properties)
Artistic rendering of 1960 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Gracorp Properties)
- Neighbourhood: Mount Pleasant
- Nearest cross streets/intersection: East Broadway and Ontario Street
- Transit-oriented development: 4-minute walk to SkyTrain’s future Mount Pleasant Station, and near frequent bus routes on Main Street and Kingsway.
- Developer/owner: Chard Development
- Architect: Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership
- Height: 21 storeys
- Residential uses: 168 secured purpose-built rental homes (100% market rental housing)
- Other uses: 9,400 sq ft of commercial uses, including retail/restaurant uses on the ground level and a private childcare facility for 37 kids on the second level
- Existing development site uses: Low-storey commercial uses
Revised rezoning was approved on December 10, 2024.
This is a redesign of a previous concept approved in 2020 with 104,000 sq ft of office space about 20,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses, with zero residential uses. This also follows a subsequent change of ownership.
2024 revised concept for 8 East Broadway, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)
2024 revised concept for 8 East Broadway, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)
2024 revised concept for 8 East Broadway, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)
2024 revised concept for 8 East Broadway, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)
2024 revised concept for 8 East Broadway, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)
- Neighbourhood: Fairview
- Nearest cross streets/intersection: West 11th Avenue and Pine Street
- Transit-oriented development: 8-minute walk to SkyTrain’s future South Granville Station, and near frequent bus routes on Granville Street.
- Developer/owner: Sightline Properties
- Architect: Ciccozzi Architecture
- Height: Two towers — 20 storeys and 19 storeys
- Residential uses: 283 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 226 market rental units and 57 below-market rental units
- Other uses: 800 sq ft retail/restaurant/cafe space
- Existing development site uses: 59 apartment units
Rezoning was approved on December 10, 2024.
Artistic rendering of 1726 West 11th Avenue, Vancouver. (Ciccozzi Architecture/Sightline Properties)
Artistic rendering of 1726 West 11th Avenue, Vancouver. (Ciccozzi Architecture/Sightline Properties)
- Neighbourhood: Fairview
- Nearest cross streets/intersection: West 12th Avenue and Hemlock Street
- Transit-oriented development: 8-minute walk to SkyTrain’s future South Granville Station, and near frequent bus routes on Granville Street.
- Developer/owner: Urban Strategies
- Architect: Sea to Sky Architecture
- Height: 20 storeys
- Residential uses: 116 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 93 market rental units and 23 below-market rental units
- Other uses: 2,300 sq sq ft retail/restaurant/cafe uses
- Existing development site uses: 19 apartment units
Rezoning was approved on December 10, 2024.
Artistic rendering of 1365 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Sea to Sky Architectrue/Urban Strategies)
Artistic rendering of 1365 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Sea to Sky Architecture/Urban Strategies)
As of the end of September 2024, the municipal government has recorded a total of 139 projects in the development pipeline under the Broadway Plan, including 44 projects in the rezoning enquiry stage, 71 in the formal rezoning application stage, four in the rezoning approval stage, 16 in the development permit stage, three in the building permit stage, and one in the occupancy permit stage.
The number of rezoning applications has also increased substantially from 56 in late June 2024 to 71 in late September 2024. Over the first nine months of the year, there was an increase of 42 rezoning applications.