112 units of social housing to be built on Davie Street near Yaletown SkyTrain

Artistic rendering of 1210 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (ZGF Architects/New Commons Development/Community Land Trust/Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency)

The City of Vancouver’s Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency (VAHA) is proceeding with its years-long plans of building a social housing complex at the southeast corner of the intersection of Davie Street and Seymour Street downtown.

Through not-for-profit real estate developer New Commons Development, VAHA has submitted a development permit application for 1210 Seymour Street, which is immediately south of Emery Barnes Park, a five-minute walk to SkyTrain Yaletown-Roundhouse Station, and adjacent to a number of bus routes.

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The site is currently occupied by two single-storey retail buildings. The plan is to construct a new nine-storey, mixed-use building, with 112 units of social housing — a mix of 74 studios, 16 one-bedroom units, 11 two-bedroom units, and 11 three-bedroom units. Residents would have access to common indoor and outdoor amenity spaces on the seventh and eighth levels.

Site of 1210 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (ZGF Architects/New Commons Development/Community Land Trust/Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency)

Site of 1210 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Artistic rendering of 1210 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (ZGF Architects/New Commons Development/Community Land Trust/Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency)

There would also be 5,900 sq ft of retail and restaurant space on the ground level, activating the building’s street frontages.

A Passive House green building standard is being targeted, and a facade of fine sand-coloured corrugated metal panels provides a wood-like exterior appearance. The project’s design firm is ZGF Architects.

Artistic rendering of 1210 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (ZGF Architects/New Commons Development/Community Land Trust/Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency)

With a relatively low building height of 100 ft, the building abides with the site’s existing zoning allowing structures reaching up to 120 ft. The stepped upper levels of the building also intentionally limit shadowing on the adjacent park.

The proposed total floor area is about 74,800 sq ft, establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is five times larger than the size of the 15,000 sq ft lot.

A single underground level will accommodate nine vehicle parking stalls and 202 secured bike parking spaces.

VAHA has selected Community Land Trust Foundation as the housing operator upon completion. The property was acquired by VAHA in 2018 through a 99-year lease from the municipal government as part of the city’s program of building about 900 units of social housing on seven sites across Vancouver.

Artistic rendering of 1210 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (ZGF Architects/New Commons Development/Community Land Trust/Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency)

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