Two towers with 542 rental homes, grocery store eyed for downtown Vancouver | Daily Hive

Two towers with 542 rental homes and a grocery store proposed for downtown Vancouver's West End

2025 concept of 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St., Vancouver. (MCMP Architects/Chard Development)

Previously a stalled development site under the last ownership group, a new proponent team is now seeking to unlock the potential of this significant property at the northeast corner of Thurlow Street and Haro Street in downtown Vancouver’s West End neighbourhood.

Vancouver-based Chard Development has submitted a new rezoning application to redevelop 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St.

The 43,200 sq. ft. site is currently occupied by a 1980-built, seven-storey building with 160 apartment units and a three-storey commercial building with about 16,400 sq. ft. of office and retail/restaurant space.

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Under its previous owner, Intracorp, the original proposal for a larger, more architecturally ambitious project stalled in the municipal government’s pre-application review process. The delays were primarily due to City staff’s concerns over the protected mountain view cone policies and building shadowing regulations, particularly the new shadows cast on Robson Street to the north.

Subsequent court filings related to the project’s receivership highlighted the inability to overcome view cone and building shadowing restrictions as key challenges. In 2024, the court approved the sale of the property to Chard Development, in a deal believed to be below the approximately $173 million Intracorp paid for the site in 2018. Intracorp asserted it could not create a financially viable project with lower height, resulting in lower density.

1045 Haro Street 830-850 Thurlow Street Vancouver Chard rental towers 2025

Site of 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St., Vancouver. (MCMP Architects/Chard Development)

Cancelled concept:

Cancelled concept: 2020 artistic rendering of 1045 Haro Street, Vancouver. (Patkau Architects/Intracorp)

Existing condition:

Site of 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St., Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

2025 concept of 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St., Vancouver. (MCMP Architects/Chard Development)

Chard Development’s new concept outlined in the rezoning application — designed by architectural firm Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership (MCMP) and landscape architectural firm PWL Partnership — calls for a 262-ft-tall, 26-storey tower and a 249-ft-tall, 25-storey tower, including a shared eight-storey base podium. A LEED Gold green building certification is targeted.

There will be 542 secured purpose-built rental homes, consisting of 520 market rental units and 22 below-market rental units. YWCA will operate the below-market rental housing component/

The unit size mix is 113 studio units, 235 one-bedroom units, 135 two-bedroom units, and 53 three-bedroom units. All residents in the building will enjoy expansive indoor and outdoor amenity spaces, mostly located on the upper levels of the base podium and the lower rooftop, including an indoor half-court basketball court.

Eligible tenants in the existing building at the development site will be provided with the right of first refusal for the new units, with their rents set at 20 per cent below the market rate.

On the second level, there will also be a 5,200 sq. ft. YWCA childcare facility for 37 kids, plus ample outdoor play space.

At ground level, the project will provide a 24,300 sq. ft. grocery store, coupled with two small retail/restaurant units — each roughly 1,000 sq. ft.

Existing condition:

1045 Haro Street 830-850 Thurlow Street Vancouver 3

Site of 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St., Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

2025 concept of 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St., Vancouver. (MCMP Architects/Chard Development)

Chard Developments’ proposal calls for a total building floor area of 466,000 sq. ft., establishing a floor area ratio (FAR) density of a floor area that is 10.78 times larger than the size of the lot.

In stark contrast, the cancelled original proposal led by Intracorp and designed by Patkau Architects called for a 580-ft-tall, 56-storey, shard-shaped tower and a 14-storey building, containing 443 strata market ownership condominium homes, 66 secured purpose-built rental homes, 43,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant uses, and a 6,700 sq. ft. childcare facility for 49 kids. This previous iteration would have generated 484,000 sq. ft. of floor area and a FAR density of 10.47.

It is emphasized in the new application that the complete redesign is in compliance with the view cone and building shadowing policies.

There will be some new shadows on the north sidewalk of Robson Street on the spring and fall equinoxes, lasting 47 minutes, with the proponents deeming this to be an acceptable minimal impact.

To minimize the impacts, the revised design not only reduces the overall building heights but also incorporates setbacks on the uppermost tower floor plates, creating partial floor plates to further reduce shadowing effects on Robson Street.

Cancelled concept: 2020 artistic rendering of 1045 Haro Street, Vancouver. (Patkau Architects/Intracorp)

View cone regulations; 2025 concept of 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St., Vancouver. (MCMP Architects/Chard Development)

Building shadowing impact on Robson Street; 2025 concept of 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St., Vancouver. (MCMP Architects/Chard Development)

Perspective from Robson Street; 2025 concept of 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St., Vancouver. (MCMP Architects/Chard Development)

But Chard Development retained one key aspect of Intracorp’s previous design — the incorporation of a new major public benefit of creating a public plaza by closing off a short mews segment of Haro Street/Smithe Street.

“The proposed plaza also holds significant potential to support and animate future retail and grocery development at 1045 Haro Street. By allowing businesses to spill out into the plaza, through patios, kiosks, or market-style setups the space would foster a lively public realm and contribute to a strong sense of place,” reads MCMP’s design rationale.

“It embodies the city’s broader goals for livable, people-focused design, and would stand as a meaningful public benefit within the evolving fabric of the downtown core.”

Additionally, an effort will be made to provide the new building’s frontage with Rosemary Brown Lane with some activation, such as public art.

The grocery store will see its main entrance situated at the building’s northwesternmost corner, facing the intersection of Thurlow Street and the laneway, making it highly visible and easily accessible to pedestrians on Robson Street. A secondary entrance will also be located next to the new Haro Street plaza.

2025 concept of 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St., Vancouver. (MCMP Architects/Chard Development)

Three underground levels will provide 274 vehicle parking stalls — including 67 stalls for grocery store/retail uses, 165 stalls for residents, 28 stalls for residential visitors, and 14 stalls for car share services. About 600 secured bike parking spaces will also be provided, with the vast majority accommodated in a partial/mezzanine underground level.

The developer will provide residents with a monthly public transit program and Mobi bike share memberships.

With this project, there are now two new additional sizeable grocery stores planned for the West End neighbourhood, with the other being a similarly-sized 24,000 sq. ft. grocery store integrated into the future mixed-use rental housing towers project at 1525-1555 Robson St.

Existing condition:

Site of 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St., Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

2025 concept of 1045 Haro St. and 830-850 Thurlow St., Vancouver. (MCMP Architects/Chard Development)

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