13-storey tower with homes and retail proposed for Kingsway Rona site
There is now a formal development application to redevelop the site of the former Kingsway Rona store into a mixed-use redevelopment.
See also
- City staff deem 16-storey tower proposal for Kingsway Rona site 'too tall'
- 'Vertical village' proposed for Commercial-Broadway Station's Safeway redevelopment
- 54 rental homes coming to empty site next to Langara-49th Avenue Station
- Two towers proposed for southeast corner of Cambie and 41st Avenue
- 430 beds of international student housing planned next to Oakridge Centre
Cressey Development has submitted a proposal to the City of Vancouver to turn 1503 Kingsway — a 1.5-acre site framed by Kingsway to the south, Dumfries Street to the west, Fleming Street to the east, and a church to the north — into a 167-ft-tall, 13-storey tower with a six-storey podium containing about 23,500 sq. ft. of commercial space on the lower floors.
There would also be townhouses within three-storey structures facing Fleming Street and Dumfries Street.
The proposal calls for 154 market homes, including 41 townhouses. Within the tower podium, retail space facing Kingsway is slated for the ground level (potentially with a grocery store) and office space on the second level.
During the extensive pre-application phase, project proponents expressed significant interest with proceeding with a proposal for a taller 16-storey tower, but this was firmly rejected by city staff.
According to the project design team at Rositch Hemphill Architects, early plans have been refined based on input from the city’s planning department, including a relocation of the tower closer to the intersection of Kingsway and Dumfriest Street and reduced tower floor plate sizes to create a slimmer appearance.
“There were a series of meetings and communication with and from the Planning Department,” reads the application. “Many design options were prepared for the site. With input from the Planning Department, the current design is a direct response to the irregular site, one that has little precedence in Vancouver.”
The redevelopment includes an internal courtyard, a mews through the centre of the site, and a widening of the Fleming Street that improves its public realm.
Residents will have access to a large amenity garden on the rooftop of the tower — complete with amenities such as a children’s play area, urban agriculture, and dining and lounge areas.
Altogether, the proponents are calling for a total floor area of 167,536 sq. ft., creating a floor space ratio density of 2.5 times the size of the lot.
Two underground levels will provide 261 vehicle parking stalls and 199 bike parking spaces.
See also
- City staff deem 16-storey tower proposal for Kingsway Rona site 'too tall'
- 'Vertical village' proposed for Commercial-Broadway Station's Safeway redevelopment
- 54 rental homes coming to empty site next to Langara-49th Avenue Station
- Two towers proposed for southeast corner of Cambie and 41st Avenue
- 430 beds of international student housing planned next to Oakridge Centre