400 rental homes in two towers proposed near Mount Pleasant SkyTrain

Nearly 400 rental homes in two towers proposed for 12th Avenue near SkyTrain's future Mount Pleasant Station

Artistic rendering of 22-55 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/JTA Development Consultants/Five Mile Holdings/TKT Holdings)

One of the largest secured purpose-built rental housing proposals within the City of Vancouver’s Broadway Plan is for the site of 22-55 East 12th Avenue.

A new rezoning application JTA Development Consultants — on behalf of property owners Five Mile Holdings and TKT Holdings — calls for the redevelopment of most of the city block at the northwest corner of the intersection of Quebec Street and East 12th Avenue.

You might also like:

With a walking distance of seven minutes to SkyTrain’s future Mount Pleasant Station (just to the north at the corner of East Broadway and Main Street), and its practical adjacency to Main Street’s bus stops, this is a prime transit-oriented development site.

Currently, the site is occupied by two low-rise apartment buildings, built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with a combined total of 77 units.

The redevelopment proposal calls for a 19-storey east tower and a 21-storey west tower, including a shared seven-storey base podium between the towers.

Site of 22-55 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver, in relation to its walking distance to SkyTrain’s future Mount Pleasant Station. (Studio One Architecture/JTA Development Consultants/Five Mile Holdings/TKT Holdings)

Existing condition:

Site of 22-55 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/JTA Development Consultants/Five Mile Holdings/TKT Holdings)

Future condition:

Artistic rendering of 22-55 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/JTA Development Consultants/Five Mile Holdings/TKT Holdings)

There would be a total of 397 rental homes, including 318 market rental units and 79 below-market rental units, in accordance with the Broadway Plan’s stipulation of providing a ratio of 80% market rental housing and 20% below-market rental housing for secured purpose-built rental housing projects.

The unit size mix is 144 studio units, 117 one-bedroom units, 98 two-bedroom units, and 38 three-bedroom units.

Residents would have ample shared indoor and outdoor amenity spaces on the base podium’s rooftop on the eighth level, and the entirety of both tower rooftop levels.

Artistic rendering of 22-55 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/JTA Development Consultants/Five Mile Holdings/TKT Holdings)

Extensive commercial space is also planned for the ground level, where there would be 10,600 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses to activate the building’s East 12th Avenue and Quebec Street frontages.

“As part of the Broadway Plan policy, the city wants to incentivize the expansion of ground-oriented local-serving retail as part of building balanced rental communities,” reads the design rationale by Studio One Architecture. The area plan incentivizes such uses in select areas by allowing a slight increase in density if the project provides retail or childcare space.

“The viability of future commercial activity depends on exposure and continuity with existing commercial corridors. In this case, the vital connection is with Main Street, one block to the East. The commercial is continuous around the Main Street facing corner, bookended by two tower entrances and plazas for clear definition and drama,” continues the rationale.

Ground level uses of 22-55 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/JTA Development Consultants/Five Mile Holdings/TKT Holdings)

Artistic rendering of 22-55 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/JTA Development Consultants/Five Mile Holdings/TKT Holdings)

Three underground levels would contain 228 vehicle parking and 674 bike parking spaces.

There would be a total building floor area of 290,000 sq ft, establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 6.6 times larger than the size of the 46,600 sq ft land assembly.

In partnership with other entities, Five Mile Holdings also has various other rental housing rezoning applications within the Broadway Plan area, including a 21-storey tower with 193 rental homes and 6,100 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses at the nearby site of 215-229 East 13th Avenue, and a 22-storey tower with 172 rental homes 5,100 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses at 1190 West 10th Avenue.

Artistic rendering of 22-55 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/JTA Development Consultants/Five Mile Holdings/TKT Holdings)

You might also like: