20-storey rental tower proposed on West 12th Avenue near future SkyTrain station | Daily Hive

20-storey rental housing tower with retail proposed on West 12th Avenue near future SkyTrain station

Artistic rendering of 1365 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Sea to Sky Architectrue/Urban Strategies)

A new proposal to build a mixed-use rental housing tower could also potentially mark the beginnings of a new retail strip along West 12th Avenue in Vancouver.

Urban Strategies and Sea to Sky Architecture have submitted a new rezoning application to redevelop the mid-block property of 1365 West 12th Avenue, located near the northeast corner of the intersection of Hemlock Street and West 12th Avenue.

The development site is within the Fairview neighbourhood, and falls under the City’s Broadway Plan for transit-oriented development densification.

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SkyTrain’s future South Granville Station, part of the future Millennium Line extension, is about an eight-minute walk away, while Granville Street bus stops served by frequent bus routes are just a city block to the west.

This property is currently occupied by a 1966-built, two-storey apartment building with 19 units, with records showing the property changed hands in November 2021 in a deal worth $9.45 million.

Location of 1365 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver; walking distance to the future SkyTrain South Granville Station. (Google Maps)

Location of 1365 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Sea to Sky Architectrue/Urban Strategies)

Existing condition:

Location of 1365 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

Artistic rendering of 1365 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Sea to Sky Architectrue/Urban Strategies)

The proposal calls for a 222-ft-tall, 20-storey tower containing 116 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 93 market rental units and 23 below-market rental units. This includes 19 one-for-one replacement units at below-market rents.

The unit size mix is 14 studios, 34 one-bedroom units, 56 two-bedroom units, and 12 three-bedroom units. Residents would have access to ample shared amenity spaces, including a 6,000 sq ft indoor amenity space on the entire second level, a 3,800 sq ft indoor amenity space on the 20th level, and an outdoor amenity space on the tower rooftop.

On the ground level, fronting West 12th Avenue, there would be 2,300 sq ft retail/restaurant uses, with a generous building setback and overhead awning to establish restaurant/cafe-supporting patio spaces, and landscaping that offers a “tower in the park” design concept.

The inclusion of neighbourhood-serving retail/restaurant uses could potentially set a precedent for and encourage adjacent future redevelopments along West 12th Avenue to include similar ground-level commercial uses, which would activate the street.

Artistic rendering of 1365 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Sea to Sky Architectrue/Urban Strategies)

The project aligns with the limitations and prescriptions of the Broadway Plan, which provides slightly more density and height if a project includes retail/restaurant uses and/or a childcare facility, and restricts the number of towers per block. Within the Broadway Plan’s “FSOB” sub-area, the policy permits up to two towers per block (street to street, including any laneways), but also offers the flexibility of adding one more tower to a block if there are already two or more existing towers.

The total building floor area would reach 81,400 sq ft, establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 6.5 times larger than the size of the 12,506 sq ft lot.

Four underground parking levels would largely contain 66 vehicle parking stalls, while 239 secured bike parking spaces would largely be situated within the rear of the ground level to provide cyclists with easier access to the rear laneway.

Artistic rendering of 1365 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Sea to Sky Architectrue/Urban Strategies)

Layout of 1365 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Sea to Sky Architectrue/Urban Strategies)

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