175 rental homes in 12-storey tower proposed near SkyTrain's Renfrew Station
Nearly two decades after the opening of SkyTrain Millennium Line, there is a new proposal to build a tower near Renfrew Station — and if realized, it would be the first tower development in the area.
Epta Development Corporation and Studio One Architecture are proposing to redevelop 2406-2484 Renfrew Street — the northeast corner of East Broadway and Renfrew Street, about a five-minute walk from the SkyTrain station. The Broadway Tech Hub office building cluster is located immediately across the street to the south.
- See also:
The land assembly on the sloped site is comprised of six single-family homes built between 1938 and 1951, and a single-storey office building constructed in 1960.
The proposal calls for a 12-storey tower at the intersection corner facing East Broadway, and a six-storey podium on the upward slope to the north of the tower along Renfrew Street.
Site of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/Epta Development Corporation)
Site of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)
There will be 175 secured purpose-built rental homes, with 140 units used as market rental homes and 35 units set aside as below-market rental homes under the city’s Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program (MIRHPP).
MIRHPP requires 20% of the proposed floor space be dedicated for below-market rents for households earning between $30,000 and $80,000 annually. In exchange for such developments with a rental-only residential component, additional height and density are permitted.
Artistic rendering of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/Epta Development Corporation)
Artistic rendering of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/Epta Development Corporation)
The unit mix is 44 studios, 70 one-bedroom units, and 61 two- and three-bedroom units, including townhouse units opening up to the street and laneway. Residents will have access to a fitness room on the ground level, and indoor and outdoor amenity spaces on the seventh level — the podium rooftop.
On the ground level along East Broadway, the tower’s street frontage will be activated by retail and restaurant units totalling 8,400 sq. ft. of commercial space.
Artistic rendering of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/Epta Development Corporation)
Artistic rendering of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/Epta Development Corporation)
“At the corner of Broadway and Renfrew Street, the proposed development is grounded by the vertical white tower volume. This verticality is balanced by a horizontal white multi-residential volume along Renfrew Street. Turning the corner onto East 8th Avenue, the multi-residential massing transitions to an individuated townhouse expression, with each volume having a corresponding ground-oriented entrance,” reads the design rationale.
“These smaller volumes turn the corner into the lane until a substantial setback to respect the privacy of neighbouring back yards. The transition in scale of these volumes adapts the unified form to all the adjacent conditions and represents the inclusivity within the rental community as a whole.”
Artistic rendering of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/Epta Development Corporation)
Artistic rendering of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/Epta Development Corporation)
Two underground levels will contain 120 vehicle parking stalls. A bike parkade on the ground level, located at the north end of the development site, will contain 310 bike parking spaces.
The total floor area is 145,378 sq. ft., creating a floor space ratio density of 4.1 times the size of the 35,286 sq. ft. lot.
This proposal is currently in its pre-application phase; a formal rezoning application will be submitted this year.
In December 2019, city council approved two seven-storey buildings kitty corner from the location at 2543-2583 Renfrew Street and 2895 East 10th Avenue, with 178 secured rental homes — including below-market rental homes under MIRHPP — as well as ground level retail and restaurant space. It was the city’s first approval of a MIRHPP project.
Artistic rendering of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/Epta Development Corporation)
Artistic rendering of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/Epta Development Corporation)
Artistic rendering of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/Epta Development Corporation)
Layout of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/Epta Development Corporation)
Follow Channels and Categories