Concord Pacific proposes two West Broadway towers up to 35 storeys with hotel and condos
Published
Signalling strong confidence in the long-term growth of Vancouver’s emerging second city centre along Central Broadway, British Columbia’s largest real estate developer is proposing its most ambitious projects yet within the City of Vancouver’s Broadway Plan area.
Concord Pacific has submitted two new rezoning applications to redevelop 1368-1398 West Broadway, which is the east tower site, and 1795 West Broadway, which is the west tower site. Both proposals involve the redevelopment of gas station properties.
The larger east tower site sits at the southeast corner of the intersection of Hemlock Street and West Broadway, occupied by a 1925-built, single-storey commercial building and formerly home to an Esso gas station that closed in 2021. The smaller west tower site is at the northeast corner of the intersection of Burrard Street and West Broadway, where an Esso gas station continues to operate for now.
In terms of public transit access, the east tower location is just one block east of SkyTrain’s future South Granville Station (on Granville Street) on the Millennium Line’s Broadway extension. The west tower site lies three blocks west of South Granville Station and three blocks east of the future Arbutus Station and 99 B-Line bus exchange.
Although both tower development sites are four city blocks apart, the developer emphasizes that the projects and the various uses are “programmatically and financially connected,” meaning they share the same pro forma.
Strata market ownership condominium uses in both mixed-use towers — a combined total of over 400 condominium units — will help subsidize the cost of building the sizeable hotel and seniors centre within the east tower, plus other public benefits. Such mixed-use hotel and residential development forms are encouraged by the City’s Broadway Plan and other municipal policies intended to help catalyze new hotel developments to address Vancouver’s growing shortage of hotel rooms.
Both towers are designed by W.T. Leung Architects and landscape architectural firm PWL Partnership.
East tower (hotel) at 1368-1398 West Broadway
The larger and more economically significant project is the east tower at 1368-1398 West Broadway, which is the site of a hotel.
Concord Pacific is proposing to build a 404-ft-tall, 35-storey tower on this site fronting Hemlock Street.
The upper levels will be dedicated to 172 strata market condominium ownership homes, with a unit size mix of 63 studio and one-bedroom units, 92 two-bedroom units, and 17 three-bedroom units. Residents will have access to shared indoor and outdoor amenity spaces on the eighth level.
Within the bottom half of the tower, there will be a hotel with 257 guest rooms, with a 10,000 sq. ft. hotel main entrance lobby, lounge, cafe, and restaurant space on the ground level, guest amenity spaces on the second level, and conference and meeting space on the third level.
Also on the third level, there will be a 12,000 sq. ft. seniors centre with outdoor terraces, which goes towards the community amenity contributions (CACs) count of both towers. Concord Pacific has already received the endorsement from the Seniors Services Society of BC and the South Granville Seniors Centre to build this new seniors centre for the neighbourhood, which is needed with an ever-growing population of seniors, including those downsizing into smaller homes within the Broadway Plan area.
This seniors centre will have its own West Broadway street-level entrance — separate from the hotel and residential uses — and a dedicated HandyDART vehicle parking space for TransLink in the laneway.
“More than an entrance, this [ground-level] space is envisioned as a dynamic and open public living room. It contributes to the social and cultural fabric of the neighbourhood while activating the pedestrian experience at one of the corridor’s most prominent intersections. Through thoughtful programming, it supports Vancouver’s vision of Broadway as a Great Street, animated, welcoming, and inclusive,” reads the application.
The building’s ground level is also substantially setback to establish wider sidewalks and privately owned public open spaces, including a partially covered plaza area at the intersection corner, with large sliding doors providing the ability to open up the indoor lobby space into the outdoors, along with patio and public art opportunities.
The seven-storey base podium is terraced, adding architectural interest and creating the outdoor terraces for various uses. The total building floor area will reach 313,000 sq. ft., establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 12.51 times larger than the size of the 25,000 sq. ft. development site. Five underground levels will accommodate 253 vehicle parking stalls, including 160 stalls for residential uses and 93 stalls for non-residential uses. There will also be 372 secured bike parking spaces.
West tower at 1795 West Broadway
The west tower at 1795 West Broadway, situated at the prominent intersection with Burrard Street, will reach a height of 334 ft. with 30 storeys.
There will be 239 strata market ownership condominium homes, with a unit size mix of 108 one-bedroom units, 107 two-bedroom units, and 24 three-bedroom units. Shared indoor and outdoor amenity spaces are provided on the second and fifth levels.
The intersection’s street frontage will be activated by a 4,500 sq. ft. commercial unit, ideal for a cafe or restaurant. The west tower will also see generous setbacks to establish wider sidewalks for privately owned public open spaces and patio opportunities.
“The Burrard Project aspires to make a lasting contribution to the future of Vancouver’s west side through a carefully composed mixed-use development that prioritizes architectural excellence, social equity, and civic generosity. Situated at the high-profile intersection of Burrard and Broadway, the project responds to the site’s urban significance with a design that seeks not only to enhance the skyline, but to enrich the life of the street,” reads the application.
“At its core, this development is about balance, between density and livability, between economic feasibility and public benefit. Commercial such as a well-curated food and beverage offering at grade animates the public realm, reinforcing Broadway’s identity as a Great Street and enabling fine-grained urban vitality,” continues the application.
The west tower will generate a total building floor area of 216,000 sq. ft., establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 13.1 times larger than the size of the 16,445 sq. ft. lot.
Seven underground levels will accommodate 150 vehicle parking stalls. There will also be 495 secured bike parking spaces.