Height doubled for new tower at Renfrew SkyTrain for more rental homes | Daily Hive

Height doubled for new tower near Renfrew SkyTrain station for more rental homes

2025 revised concept of 2406-2484 Renfrew St., Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/OpenForm Properties)

With the policies and stipulations of the City of Vancouver’s July 2025-approved Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan enabling a significant increase in density through added height, one previously approved project near SkyTrain’s Rupert Station is going back to the municipal government with a revised application that maximizes on the new allowances.

The site of 2406-2484 Renfrew St. is situated at the northeast corner of the intersection of East Broadway and Renfrew Street within the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood — just a five-minute walk north of the SkyTrain station, and across the street from the Broadway Tech Centre office campus.

Currently, this sloped property is occupied by six single-family houses and a single-storey office building.

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In April 2022, the previous makeup of Vancouver City Council approved a rezoning application led by Epta Development Corporation to redevelop this site into a 171-ft-tall, 15-storey tower on the southern half of the site and a six-storey building on the northern half. There would be 180 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 144 market rental units and 36 moderate income rental units under the City’s Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program (MIRHPP).

This same concept progressed into a development permit application submission in January 2023, and it was approved by City staff in May 2023.

Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan, July 2025. (City of Vancouver)

2406-2484 Renfrew Street Vancouver rental 2025

2025 revised concept of 2406-2484 Renfrew St., Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/OpenForm Properties)

Existing condition:

Site of 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Cancelled 15-storey concept:

2406-2484 Renfrew Street Vancouver rental housing tower

Cancelled 15-storey concept; 2023 artistic rendering of the rental housing complex at 2406-2484 Renfrew Street, Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/Epta Corporation)

2025 revised concept of a 31-storey tower:

2025 revised concept of 2406-2484 Renfrew St., Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/OpenForm Properties)

However, the provincial government’s transit-oriented development legislation and the new Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan enable more density and height. The area plan stipulates that for this particular site, new buildings can reach up to 45 storeys for social housing, 40 storeys for market rental housing with a 20 per cent below-market rental housing component, 33 storeys for market rental housing with a childcare facility, 31 storeys for market rental housing, and 22 storeys for strata market condominium ownership or hotel uses.

OpenForm Properties is now leading the revised project, now named “Easthill,” with Studio One Architecture returning as the lead design firm.

According to their newly submitted rezoning application, they are now pursuing a 318-ft-tall, 31-storey tower — nearly double the height of the previous design — plus a partial rooftop floor with shared indoor and outdoor amenities. The six-storey building, plus a partial rooftop floor with shared indoor and outdoor amenities, has also been retained.

This revised project will now generate 344 secured purpose-built market rental homes, which is almost double the tally of the previous design. The unit size mix is 103 studio units, 108 one-bedroom units, 126 two-bedroom units, and seven three-bedroom units.

2025 revised concept of 2406-2484 Renfrew St., Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/OpenForm Properties)

Apart from the vertical growth of the tower, the overall layout, public realm, and architectural design concept are generally unchanged compared to the previous iteration.

The ground level of the tower will still be dedicated to retail/restaurant uses, totalling nearly 6,000 sq. ft. of commercial space to activate the intersection corner, while the ground level of the low-rise building will be used for shared indoor amenity spaces and ground-oriented residential units. A mid-block pedestrian pathway separates the tower and low-rise building.

2025 revised concept of 2406-2484 Renfrew St., Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/OpenForm Properties)

Four underground levels will accommodate 210 vehicle parking stalls. There will also be about 680 secured bike parking spaces.

The total building floor area will reach 264,000 sq. ft., establishing a floor area ratio (FAR) density of a floor area that is 7.5 times larger than the size of the 35,300 sq. ft. lot. The area plan’s FAR density limit for the site is 7.5. In contrast, the previous 15-storey concept had nearly 145,000 sq. ft. of building floor area and a FAR density of 4.1.

Nearby, near the southwest corner of the same intersection, Sightline Properties recently submitted a rezoning application to redevelop its land assembly of 26 single-family houses — 2808-2888 East Broadway, 2813-2881 East 10th Ave. and 2528-2580 Kaslo St. They are calling for four towers up to 45 storeys containing nearly 2,000 homes, with about 1,400 strata market ownership condominium homes and nearly 600 secured purpose-built rental homes, along with retail/restaurant space and a childcare facility. This application was also directly triggered by the area plan’s allowances.

2025 revised concept of 2406-2484 Renfrew St., Vancouver. (Studio One Architecture/OpenForm Properties)

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