354 rental homes and a 24-hour childcare centre proposed near Vancouver General Hospital

Another major rental housing project is proposed near Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), and it will include a large two-storey childcare facility with around-the-clock services.

PC Urban Properties has submitted a new rezoning application to redevelop its land assembly of 816-860 West 13th Avenue and 2915-2925 Willow Street — a half block site at the southwest corner of the intersection of West 13th Avenue and Willow Street, just south of VGH’s parkade.

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This development site is also about a 10-minute walk from SkyTrain’s future Oak-VGH Station (corner of West Broadway and Laurel Street) through the hospital streets. Currently, the site is occupied by early 1980s-built low-storey structures with a dozen strata duplex units.

Site of 816-860 West 13th Avenue and 2915-2925 Willow Street, Vancouver, in relation to its walking distance to SkyTrain’s future Oak-VGH Station. (Google Maps)

Site of 816-860 West 13th Avenue and 2915-2925 Willow Street, Vancouver. (Francl Architecture/PC Urban Properties)

Existing condition:

Site of 816-860 West 13th Avenue and 2915-2925 Willow Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

Artistic rendering of 816-860 West 13th Avenue and 2915-2925 Willow Street, Vancouver. (Francl Architecture/PC Urban Properties)

Designed by Francl Architecture, the proposal calls for twin towers, with each building reaching 211 ft with 22 storeys.

There will be a combined total of 354 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 283 market rental units and 71 below-market rental units, in accordance to the City’s Broadway Plan’s stipulation of a ratio of 80% market rental housing and 20% below-market rental housing.

The unit size mix is 61 studio units, 157 one-bedroom units, 97 two-bedroom units, and 39 three-bedroom units.

Residents will have access to various shared amenity spaces, including an indoor amenity space on the ground level of the west tower, and both indoor and outdoor amenity spaces on the tower rooftops of both the west and east towers.

The first two levels of the east tower will be dedicated to 10,500 sq ft of indoor childcare space, with the facility’s ground level opening up to an expansive fenced-off outdoor childcare play area within the courtyard space between both towers. This rare 24-hour childcare facility will have a capacity for up to 49 kids during the daytime, and up to 16 kids during overnight operations.

Building uses of 816-860 West 13th Avenue and 2915-2925 Willow Street, Vancouver. (Francl Architecture/PC Urban Properties)

Artistic rendering of 816-860 West 13th Avenue and 2915-2925 Willow Street, Vancouver. (Francl Architecture/PC Urban Properties)

According to the proponents, their project’s rental housing and childcare facility will be highly beneficial for the roughly 12,000 people who work in the area’s healthcare and medical research campus anchored by Vancouver General Hospital and BC Cancer Centre.

The Broadway Plan also provides extra density if such a project were to include retail or childcare space. The project’s total building floor area will reach 278,000 sq ft, establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 7.4 times larger than the size of the 37,500 sq ft development site.

The area plan also stipulates a maximum of two towers on this city block in the Fairview South neighbourhood. As a result, this project would fulfill the block’s tower allowances.

Three underground levels will accommodate 186 vehicle parking stalls, not including up to eight stalls for car share, and 667 bike parking spaces.

PC Urban’s site is also immediately west of Metro Vancouver Regional District’s future six-storey affordable housing rental project at 788 West 13th Avenue. The regional district’s project for low to moderate-income households is expected to reach completion in late 2025.

Artistic rendering of 816-860 West 13th Avenue and 2915-2925 Willow Street, Vancouver. (Francl Architecture/PC Urban Properties)

Artistic rendering of 816-860 West 13th Avenue and 2915-2925 Willow Street, Vancouver. (Francl Architecture/PC Urban Properties)

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