Up to 40 storey towers for SkyTrain’s Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan in East Vancouver

The upcoming “Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan” is the City of Vancouver’s next area plan, identifying new higher-density redevelopment strategies for another area of the city — similar to recent area plans such as the Broadway Plan, Cambie Plan, and Grandview-Woodland Plan.

As the name suggests, this is an area plan for the combined area that surrounds SkyTrain’s Rupert Station and Renfrew Station on the Millennium Line.

The area plan is generally framed by Park Street to the north, Boundary Road to the east, East 27th Avenue to the south, and Kamloops Street to the west. Currently, single-family neighbourhoods span a majority of the area, and light industrial and commercial uses are closest to both stations.

This planning process for the new area plan first began in Spring 2022, and it is deemed as one of the first strategies to implement the Vancouver Plan.

The draft version of the area plan will be available for consultation starting this week through the end of July 2024.

Generally, the prescriptions and stipulations for density go far beyond the minimum permitted heights and densities as established by the Government of British Columbia’s transit-oriented development legislation for sites with residential-only or mixed-use residential zoning within 800 metres of a SkyTrain station.

As proposed, the Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan calls for residential tower heights of up to 40 storeys on several sites closest to both stations, deemed to be “Tier 1” sites.

On Tier 1 sites, buildings heights of up to 40 storeys would be permitted for secure purpose-built rental housing uses on high groundwater properties, with 80% of the units set aside at market rental rates and 20% at below-market rental rates.

City staff are proposing added density through height as Tier 1 sites have challenging high groundwater, which may increase construction costs and limit the depth of underground parking levels and foundations. The intention is to protect the healthy groundwater flow into Still Creek, which runs east-west through the area plan’s lowest elevations in very close proximity to the stations — generally paralleling SkyTrain and the Canadian National railway.

“Underneath the neighbourhood, groundwater lies close to the surface. Groundwater keeps Still Creek flowing in the summer. Because of this, regulations to manage groundwater are needed. These regulations support keeping groundwater flowing freely to recharge Still Creek by limiting underground structures, specifically parkades,” state City staff, describing the creation of a “Groundwater Protection Zone.”

Existing condition north of Rupert Station:

Potential future condition north of Rupert Station:

For the reason of groundwater considerations, above-ground parkade structures would be permitted, such as within the base podium of towers — not dissimilar to the configuration of newer mid-rise residential buildings in Richmond City Centre.

High groundwater sites within Tier 1 would also be permitted to build up to 34 storeys with market rental housing and a childcare facility, 29 storeys with only market rental housing, and 29 storeys with strata market ownership condominiums and a community amenity contribution (CAC).

On normal ground conditions, Tier 1 sites would have an allowable height of up to 25 storeys for market rental housing uses with a 20% below-market rental housing component, 23 storeys for market rental housing with a childcare facility, 20 storeys for 100% market rental housing, and 20 storeys for strata market ownership condominiums with a CAC.

Existing condition south of Rupert Station:

Potential future condition south of Rupert Station:

Tier 2 sites — select properties still within close proximity to the stations, but generally further away than Tier 1 sites — would have similar groundwater considerations, with the ability for above-ground parking.

Up to 25 storeys would be permitted for Tier 2 sites with market rental housing uses containing 20% below-market rental uses, 23 storeys for market rental housing with a childcare facility, and 20 storeys for 100% market rental or strata market ownership condominiums with a CAC on normal ground conditions, as well as 29 storeys for 100% market rental housing or strata market ownership condominiums with a CAC on high groundwater sites.

Tier 3 sites are located on the edge of the station areas, where heights of 20 storeys would be permitted for normal ground conditions, and 29 storeys for high groundwater conditions for both 100% market rental housing uses or 100% strata market ownership condominium uses.

Some of these sites are already in the process of being redeveloped with new uses that are less dense than what is prescribed.

Generally, across all three types of tiers, as one of the stipulations to help protect groundwater flow, tower development sites must be 150 metres long, which could necessitate the creation of land assemblies.

Beyond the sites in the station areas identified for high-rise towers, the area plan would permit the majority of its single-family lots to be developed into six-storey residential buildings. There would also be some areas of lower-density multiplexes in the single-family neighbourhoods generally north of East 1st Avenue and the southeast corner of the area plan south of East 22nd Avenue.

So far, this only covers the new residential opportunities within zoning where residential uses are already allowed. There are different considerations for the significant tracts of light industrial and commercial uses, including sites immediately adjacent to the stations.

Residential uses would not be permitted on these existing industrial and commercial sites to preserve the designation of these areas as employment lands. Instead, the area plan would encourage new, larger industrial buildings with newer, modern industrial uses on the upper floors and larger floor plates to support manufacturing and distribution businesses on the ground floor. Some examples of these sites include Broadway Tech Centre, RONA, Renfrew Centre, Superstore, Canadian Tire, Walmart, Vancouver Film Studio, and the strip of major car dealerships. Big-box grocery stores would still be permitted along Grandview Highway; generally, lower-density industrial uses would be permitted at the lowest elevations next to Still Creek.

But there will be one major exception to enable residential uses at the future redevelopment of the former BC Liquor Distribution Centre at 3200 East Broadway and 2625 Rupert Station — a 10-acre site at the southwest corner of the intersection of East Broadway and Rupert Street, immediately west of Renfrew Station. The provincial government’s former liquor warehouse property was acquired in 2014 by a partnership between MST Development Corporation (a for-profit developer entity of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations) and Aquilini Investment Group for $37 million.

As a measure of reconciliation, this First Nations-owned site would be permitted for a new mixed-use development with residential uses, along with other uses such as employment spaces, retail/restaurant spaces, amenities, and public spaces.

Other than the former liquor warehouse property, the area plan designates a number of large “unique sites” where the City could consider more complex rezonings with higher densities and mixed uses, including the Italian Cultural Centre and Villa Carital, Akali Singh Sikh Society’s temple, Broadway Church, and BC Housing’s Skeena Terrace social housing site, which already has approved redevelopment plans for 1,900 rental homes, with the vast majority being below-market rental units.

Kingsgate Mall and Vancouver Community College’s Broadway campus are examples of designated “unique sites” in the existing Broadway Plan.

Additionally, the Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan stipulates new retail strips in the area, including significant ground-level retail/restaurant frontage in future redevelopments along Renfrew Street between Kitchener and East 16th Avenue, along Rupert Street between East 5th Avenue and East 15th Avenue, along Rupert Street between East 21st Avenue and East 25th Avenue, along East 22nd Avenue between Rupert Street and Nicola Street, along the north side of Grandview Highway through the area, and various other neighbourhood-serving retail village pockets and especially the blocks that immediately surround the stations.

There would also be prescriptions for new public spaces — including new plazas and improved and expanded parks — and other community amenities, including the replacement and expansion of Renfrew Park Community Centre and Frog Hollow Neighbourhod House.

The segments of East Broadway, East 22nd Avenue, Rupert Street, and Renfrew Street would be transformed into “complete streets,” such as bike lanes, wider sidewalks, patios, and more street trees. The greenway network of cycling and walking routes could be improved and extended, including upgrades to the existing Central Valley Greenway underneath SkyTrain’s elevated guideway.

The existing CN railway crossing through Rupert, Renfrew, Kaslo, and Slocan streets could see improvements, and the area plan would pursue brand new railway crossings at Nootka and Skeena streets to improve the area’s accessibility.

Major improvements would be made to Still Creek to reduce its flood risk and improve its biodiversity. These include daylighting and widening the creek corridor between Boundary Road and Nootka Street (near Staples) and adding new habitat areas. Much of the creek in the area currently runs through a culvert.

Previous habitat restoration efforts led to the return of salmon in Still Creek in 2012, following an absence of the fish for about 80 years.

I’ve never seen Still Creek at such a high level and moving so quickly. #Vancouver #BCstorm pic.twitter.com/FtOt4yAbYO

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) November 15, 2021

An online survey on the draft Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan is now open through July 31, 2024. The input received will be used to create the final plan starting in Fall 2024 for Vancouver City Council’s review and approval decision in Spring 2025.

According to TransLink statistics, Renfrew Station is currently the 42nd busiest SkyTrain station out of the network of 53 SkyTrain stations, based on its 2023 annual ridership of 1.09 million boardings, with averages of 3,400 boardings per weekday, 2,400 per Saturday, and 1,900 per Sunday/holiday. Rupert Station was the 46th busiest station with a total of 825,000 boardings in 2023, and averages of 2,400 boardings per weekday, 2,100 boradings per Saturday, and 1,800 boardings per Sunday/holiday.

Ridership at both stations is likely to increase beyond 2027, upon the opening of the Millennium Line’s Broadway Extension to Arbutus, which would also improve the regional accessibility and usability of these stations.

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