View cone changes allow 26-storey West End social housing tower | Daily Hive

View cone changes enable 26-storey West End social housing tower

January 2025 concept of 1111 Broughton Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/The Bloom Group Nicholson Housing Society)

Almost exactly seven years after this property in the West End neighbourhood of downtown Vancouver was destroyed by a fire, there is now a new proposal to redevelop the small site into a narrow high-rise social housing building.

A new rezoning application by The Bloom Group Nicholson Housing Society, a non-profit organization in the Downtown Eastside, seeks to redevelop 1111 Broughton Street into a 289-ft-tall tower.

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The site is located near the northwest corner of the intersection of Broughton Street and Pendrell Street, with the northern side of the property fronting the Jepson-Young Laneway.

The 4,323 sq ft lot has been vacant since 2018, following a major fire of the site’s previous 1904-built, two-storey house on January 27 of that year.

According to the Vancouver Heritage Society, one of the previous house’s first residents was George Trorey, owner of Trorey Jewellers, which Briks & Sons Jewellers bought out. Trorey Jewellers installed the iconic Birks Clock that still exists today at the intersection of Granville and Hastings streets.

1111 Broughton Street Vancouver The Bloom Group social housing

Site of 1111 Broughton Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/The Bloom Group Nicholson Housing Society)

1111 Broughton Street Vancouver January 2018 fire

Previous house before the fire at 1111 Broughton Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

January 2018 fire of the previous house at 1111 Broughton Street, Vancouver. (Heritage Vancouver Society)

Current vacant site of 1111 Broughton Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

January 2025 concept of 1111 Broughton Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/The Bloom Group Nicholson Housing Society)

According to the application designed by local architectural firm Arcadis, the new 26-storey tower — including the tower rooftop level with shared indoor and outdoor amenity spaces — would contain a total of 136 social housing units.

The unit size mix is 84 studios, 44 one-bedroom units, and eight two-bedroom units. On the ground level, indoor space is set aside for a “community amenity” room fronting Broughton Street.

No underground vehicle parking spaces would be provided, which is expected due to the tight squeeze of the lot and the project’s 100% social housing uses. However, two underground levels would contain 200 secure bike parking spaces.

January 2025 concept of 1111 Broughton Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/The Bloom Group Nicholson Housing Society)

Ground level floor plan; January 2025 concept of 1111 Broughton Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/The Bloom Group Nicholson Housing Society)

The total building floor area would reach 82,000 sq ft, establishing a high floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 18.9 times larger than the size of the tiny lot.

The small lot has also resulted in floor plate sizes of up to 3,493 sq ft.

The project’s height of 289 ft is made possible by Vancouver City Council’s July 2024 approval of changes to the protected mountain view cone policies, creating a number of relaxations to view cones, enabling greater height.

Specific relaxations to View Cone 20 — emanating from the intersection of Granville Street and West Broadway — have enabled the non-profit organization to pursue greater density through added height to support the inclusion of additional social housing units.

2024 changes to View Cone 20 emanating from the intersection of Granville Street and West Broadway. (City of Vancouver)

January 2025 concept of 1111 Broughton Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/The Bloom Group Nicholson Housing Society)

A previous highly preliminary concept for this project contemplated a 16-storey tower, featuring three floors of community space within the base of the building, and 13 floors of social housing within the upper volume.

The Bloom Group currently operates social housing sites such as the nearby 240-unit Nicholson Tower at 1115 Nelson Street, the 96-unit The View, and the 31-unit Somerville Place, which are both at 250 Powell Street.

January 2025 concept of 1111 Broughton Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/The Bloom Group Nicholson Housing Society)

1111 brougthon street vancouver previous concept

Cancelled design: Previous 16-storey social housing tower concept for 1111 Broughton Street, Vancouver. (The Bloom Group Nicholson Housing Society)

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