New retail and housing development proposed across from Langara College

Artistic rendering of 203-263 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver. (GBL Architects)

Another component of Vancouver’s Cambie Corridor Plan is unravelling on West 49th Avenue across from Langara College.

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A rezoning application has been submitted by GBL Architects to redevelop a land assembly of seven single-family lots at 203-263 West 49th Avenue — the northwest corner of the intersection of Columbia Street and West 49th Avenue.

The development site, spanning 37,500 sq. ft., covers an area of about two-thirds of the entire city block and is about one block east of the Canada Line’s Langara-49th Avenue Station.

Site of 203-263 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver. (GBL Architects)

Site of 203-263 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

The proposal outlines plans for a 57-ft-tall, four-storey, mixed-use building with 78 condominium units, with a unit mix of one studio, 49 one-bedroom units, 20 two-bedroom units, and eight three-bedroom units.

Approximately 25,000 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space is planned for the ground level to help create the new retail strip that will span the north side of West 49th Avenue from Cambie Street to Ontario Street.

Artistic rendering of 203-263 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver. (GBL Architects)

“The primary design element features a large overhang which not only covers the rooftop amenity, but highlights the residential entrance of the building through the formal arrangement of masses and the use of a third ‘highlight’ cladding material,” reads the design rationale.

“Secondly, the massing of the building along Columbia Street is meant to respond to the dramatic cantilever of the Science and Technology Building at Langara College across the street. The equally dramatic cantilever creates opportunities for ground-level outdoor retail activities, such as restaurant patios or cafes.”

Two underground levels will host 143 vehicle parking stalls and 280 bike parking spaces.

Altogether, the redevelopment calls for 93,718 sq. ft. of total floor area, providing a floor space ratio density of 2.5 times the size of the lot.

Artistic rendering of 203-263 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver. (GBL Architects)

A number of other mixed-use commercial and residential redevelopments are already proposed for this segment of West 49th Avenue, including 319-359 West 49th Avenue and 102-125 West 49th Avenue.

And just across the street, there are plans to redevelop Langara YMCA with new community and recreational facilities, plus rental housing and market condominiums in buildings up to 20 storeys. Langara College also has longer-term plans to expand is academic campus significantly.

The City of Vancouver’s Cambie Corridor Plan. (City of Vancouver)

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