Future West End tower pivots from condos to 100% rental housing

2023 rental housing tower design at 1055 Harwood Street, Vancouver. (GBL Architects/GWL Realty Advisors)

Yet another condominium tower project in Vancouver has pivoted to rental housing due to the changing local real estate market dynamics.

GWL Realty Advisors has submitted a new rezoning application to turn 1055 Harwood Street — a mid-block site near the northeast corner of the intersection of Harwood and Thurlow streets — in downtown Vancouver’s West End into a 32-storey tower.

In 2018, the previous Vancouver City Council approved a 300-ft-tall, 30-storey condominium tower with a social housing component, but this project fell apart last year, when Intracorp Homes and Strand Development sold the property to GWL. The site is currently occupied by a 1948-built, three-storey apartment building.

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Instead of 82 condominium homes and 43 social housing units, the redesign calls for 217 market rental homes and 52 below-market rental homes, with a unit size mix of 34 studios, 141 one-bedroom units, 90 two-bedroom units, and four three-bedroom units. There would be a total of 269 rental homes.

Cancelled 2018-approved condominium/social housing design:

Artistic rendering of 1055 Harwood Street, Vancouver. (NSDA Architects/Intracorp/Strand)

2023 rezoning application design for a 100% rental housing tower:

1055 Harwood Street Vancouver rental housing

2023 rental housing tower design at 1055 Harwood Street, Vancouver. (GBL Architects/GWL Realty Advisors)

The new proposal retains the previous design’s building height and number of floors, but its floor area ratio (FAR) density has increased from 9.95 times the size of the lot under the previously planned condominium/social housing uses to 11.71 FAR under the new rental housing configuration — from a total floor area of 172,000 sq ft to 202,400 sq ft. This increase is mainly accomplished by using larger floor plates.

GBL Architects has replaced NSDA Architects as the lead design firm for the retooled project.

2023 rental housing tower design at 1055 Harwood Street, Vancouver. (GBL Architects/GWL Realty Advisors)

GWL is pursuing the City of Vancouver’s time-limited option of providing developers in the area with the ability to pursue a redevelopment with 100% rental housing, with at least 20% of the rental residential floor area set aside for below-market units. A growing number of projects along Thurlow Street within the West End have pursued this 100% rental housing path, instead of the City’s West End Plan’s normal stipulation of a mix of condominiums and social housing, which is associated with far greater community amenity contributions (CACs).

Residents will have access to expansive common amenity spaces, including a social lounge, fitness gym, and outdoor terrace on the 32nd level.

2023 rental housing tower design at 1055 Harwood Street, Vancouver. (GBL Architects/GWL Realty Advisors)

Five underground levels will accommodate 141 vehicle parking stalls and over 500 bike parking spaces.

In 2021, GWL completed Chronicle, a 21-storey rental housing tower with 128 units at 825 Nicola Street (on Robson Street).

2023 rental housing tower design at 1055 Harwood Street, Vancouver. (GBL Architects/GWL Realty Advisors)

Site of 1055 Harwood Street, Vancouver. (GBL Architects/GWL Realty Advisors)

Site of 1055 Harwood Street, Vancouver. (NSDA Architects/Intracorp/Strand)

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