28th March 2022   FEATURED, NEWS

Plan to revolutionise social housing finally approved

LONDON: A plan to revolutionise social housing has finally been approved and is being redied to proceed.

Canadian Metropolitan Properties has signalled it is proceeding with the first phase of its Plaza of Nations redevelopment in Northeast False Creek in downtown Vancouver.

A development permit application has been newly submitted for the western half of the 10-acre redevelopment of the former BC Pavilion site from Expo ’86 at 750 Pacific Boulevard. The western half of the site is currently used as a surface parking lot.

This first phase, named Expo Gardens, entails a 28-storey terraced building with a mix of uses, including retail and restaurant space on the first two levels, offices on levels three to five, and residential within the remaining levels of the tower above.

There will be a total of 828 homes in this first phase building, with 180 units of social housing and 648 units of condominiums. All of the social housing units are on the northern side of the building, facing BC Place Stadium.

Slightly over one million sq ft of floor area will be within this building, not including five underground levels for vehicle and bike parking.

The development permit application for this phase was designed and submitted by Francl Architecture, but the overall redevelopment concept was previously conceived by James Cheng Architects.

The project’s rezoning application was approved by the previous Vancouver City Council in Summer 2018. In late 2019, a site-wide development permit application was submitted, outlining the three phases of the project.

The first phase design has been slightly streamlined, compared to previous designs. Construction on this first phase could begin as early as late 2022 or early 2023.

The remaining eastern half of the Plaza of Nations project — the amphitheatre and former Edgewater Casino building — will be redeveloped in two phases.

The western and eastern buildings of the redevelopment will be separated by a north-south, partially covered plaza that frames views of BC Place Stadium. The plaza will be activated by restaurants, bars, and retail, as well as events. However, in the process, the redevelopment will block much of the existing and only skyline view of the landmark stadium from False Creek vantage points.

When all phases of the redevelopment reach completion, there will be a total floor area of about 2.1 million sq ft.

This includes a civic centre in the base of the second phase building in the northeast parcel, containing a 17,000 sq ft music venue, a 30,000 sq ft ice rink, a childcare facility, and a 34,000 sq ft community centre. The ice rink was previously set to double as the new purpose-built practice rink of the NHL Vancouver Canucks, but the team cancelled their partnership last year.

Overall, the entire redevelopment will have 400,000 sq ft of retail, restaurant, and office space, which will help establish a new vibrant, stadium-side entertainment district.

Over a thousand condominium homes will be included in the latter two phases, plus the remaining 200 units of social housing, giving the entire project a total of 380 social housing units.

Altogether, Canadian Metropolitan Properties has committed to providing at least $325.5 million in community amenity contributions through on-site commitments to the civic centre, social housing, and various public spaces.