400 rental homes and grocery store proposed for Robson Street | Daily Hive

Nearly 400 rental homes and grocery store proposed for Robson Street in downtown Vancouver

October 2024 artistic rendering of 1525-1555 Robson Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/GWL Realty Advisors)

Lower Robson in downtown Vancouver’s West End neighbourhood could see a new major anchor retailer through a sizeable mixed-use rental housing development.

A new rezoning application has been submitted by GWL Realty Advisors (GWLRA) to redevelop 1525-1555 Robson Street into two high-rise towers reaching 324 ft with 28 storeys and 318 ft with 29 storeys.

The site is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Robson and Cardero streets.

Currently, it is occupied by a 1949-built, three-storey retail building that was previously home to Jang Mo Jib Restaurant, and a 1965-built, six-storey office and retail building. Its location is also immediately south of Westbank’s newly completed landmark Alberni by Kengo Kuma condominium tower.

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This is GWLRA’s second rental housing tower project in the immediate area. Just across the street at the site of 825 Nicola Street (the southwest corner of the intersection of Robson Street and Nicola Street), GWLRA reached completion in November 2021 on Chronicle — a 21-storey tower with 128 secured purpose-built market rental homes and 5,500 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses on the ground level.

Site of 1525-1555 Robson Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/GWL Realty Advisors)

Existing condition:

Site of 1525-1555 Robson Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/GWL Realty Advisors)

1525-1555 Robson Street Vancouver rental housing gwl realty advisors

Site of 1525-1555 Robson Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

October 2024 artistic rendering of 1525-1555 Robson Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/GWL Realty Advisors)

According to the application for 1525-1555 Robson Street, this project would generate 393 secured purpose-built market rental homes, including 100 studio units, 179 one-bedroom units, 101 two-bedroom units, and 13 three-bedroom units. Residents would have access to indoor and outdoor amenities on the rooftops of the base podium and towers.

The first two levels within the base podium would be dedicated to commercial uses totalling about 41,000 sq ft, including smaller retail/restaurant units on the ground level to activate the building’s Robson Street frontage, and a two-storey grocery store occupying the vast majority of the second level and a portion of the ground level at the intersection corner.

With the existing Safeway and Whole Foods Market situated on the city blocks just to the west, this could be the third grocery store in the immediate vicinity.

“The application seeks to create a mixed-use building that aligns with the vision of fostering a vibrant community while addressing the demand for rental residential units in the West End and the City,” reads the design rationale by Arcadis Architects.

“Natural stone is proposed for the podium and Robson Street frontage to harmonize with the context and streetscape. The stone material in the podium, combined with bronze-coloured frames, aims to provide colour, texture, pattern and visual interest. The tower will be primarily constructed of a window wall system.”

October 2024 artistic rendering of 1525-1555 Robson Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/GWL Realty Advisors)

Four underground levels would contain over 250 vehicle parking stalls, including 198 stalls for rental housing residents, 20 stalls for residential visitors, and 33 stalls for commercial uses. This is in addition to over 600 secured bike parking spaces.

The total building floor area is pegged at about 324,000 sq ft, establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is s 9.6 times larger than the size of the 33,600 sq ft development site. This project falls under the City’s West End Community Plan.

GWLRA is the real estate investment subsidiary of the Great-West Life Assurance Company, which is one of Canada’s largest private insurance firms.

In March 2024, GWLRA acquired the 16,400 sq ft site of 1555 Robson Street (the west parcel at the intersection corner, previously home to Jang Mo Jib Restaurant) from VivaGrand Developments in a deal worth $58 million, according to records. This purchase enabled GWLRA to form a land assembly with its 2022 acquisition of the similarly sized adjacent site at 1525 Robson Street (the mid-block east parcel with the office building).

In 2018, VivaGrand Developments’ development permit application for 1555 Robson Street was approved. At the time, the developer had plans to build a 300-ft-tall, 28-storey tower with 177 homes, including 153 strata condominium homes and 24 social housing units, as well as two levels of office space and ground-level retail/restaurant uses. After VivaGrand Developments defaulted on its loan from its construction financing sources, court proceedings were triggered and ultimately led to the sale of the 1555 Robson Street.

Earlier this year, just to the east, the city block-sized Landmark on Robson project finally reached completion, providing new and improved continuous storefronts for the Robson Strip.

October 2024 artistic rendering of 1525-1555 Robson Street, Vancouver. (Arcadis/GWL Realty Advisors)

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