18-storey Indigenous social housing tower proposed for Commercial Drive

Artistic rendering of Place of Cedars at 1710-1730 East Pender Street, Vancouver. (Dialog/Aboriginal Land Trust/Lu'ma Native Housing Society)

A pair of low-storey apartment buildings at the southeast corner of the intersection of Commercial Drive and East Pender Street — containing 39 units from the 1950s and 1980s — could be redeveloped into a new Indigenous social housing complex with 191 units.

Aboriginal Land Trust and Lu’ma Native Housing Society are looking to redevelop the corner at 1710-1730 East Pender Street into a mixed-use complex with an 18-storey tower over base podiums of three storeys and six storeys. The 202-ft-tall tower would be located on the west side of the block, fronting Commercial Drive.

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Such development forms exceed the City of Vancouver’s Grandview-Woodland Community Plan’s prescriptions for the site of buildings up to six storeys, which is why the proponents went through the City’s previous Policy Enquiry Process due to the proposal’s non-compliance with existing policies.

While the proposal exceeds the stipulations of the community plan, the proponents assert similar taller and denser building forms are permitted just half a block north along East Hastings Street, and hint of major development proposals in the pipeline for the area.

According to the proponents, the number of people living along the East Hastings Street corridor near Commercial Drive is expected to increase by 10,000 over the next 30 years.

1710-1730 East Pender Street Vancouver Place of Cedars

Location of Place of Cedars at 1710-1730 East Pender Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

The location and form of Place of Cedars at 1710-1730 East Pender Street (red) and the potential future developments in the area along Commercial Drive and Hastings Street. (Dialog/Aboriginal Land Trust/Lu’ma Native Housing Society)

The social housing unit size mix for Place of Cedars, the name of the project, is 117 one-bedroom units, 36 two-bedroom units, 27 three-bedroom units, and five four-bedroom units, along with six live/work units of various sizes on the ground level fronting East Pender Street and an internal courtyard.

There will be a mix of housing tenures, including core/shelter rate units, rent geared to income units, low-end-of-market rental units, and affordable leasehold homeownership units.

Artistic rendering of Place of Cedars at 1710-1730 East Pender Street, Vancouver. (Dialog/Aboriginal Land Trust/Lu’ma Native Housing Society)

Residents will have extensive common amenity spaces, including the internal courtyard attached to an indoor space, and outdoor areas on the rooftops of all three buildings, with the tower rooftop providing both outdoor amenity areas and an indoor amenity space used as a First Nations longhouse.

About 2,800 sq ft of commercial space fronting Commercial Drive will serve Indigenous social enterprise and/or small-scale retail uses.

Ground-level uses of Place of Cedars at 1710-1730 East Pender Street, Vancouver. (Dialog/Aboriginal Land Trust/Lu’ma Native Housing Society)

Landscaping and outdoor amenity plan for Place of Cedars at 1710-1730 East Pender Street, Vancouver. (Dialog/Aboriginal Land Trust/Lu’ma Native Housing Society)

Site plan for Place of Cedars at 1710-1730 East Pender Street, Vancouver. (Dialog/Aboriginal Land Trust/Lu’ma Native Housing Society)

There will be an attempt to activate the laneway on the south side of the property into a more welcoming area for pedestrians, with improvements such as lighting and pavement treatments.

“Commercial Drive has a distinct Indigenous presence, marked by traditional artwork and landmarks that welcome residents home while also rooting the building in the neighbourhood. Streetscape elements are multi-functional, with rainwater management serving both ecological and social function as gathering spaces and thresholds,” reads the design rationale by architectural firm Dialog.

Two underground levels would contain 73 vehicle parking stalls and 338 secured bike parking spaces.

The total floor area would reach nearly 147,000 sq ft, establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 5.5 times larger than the size of the 26,849 sq ft development site.

Diagram of Place of Cedars at 1710-1730 East Pender Street, Vancouver. (Dialog/Aboriginal Land Trust/Lu’ma Native Housing Society)

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