54 rental homes to replace former Topanga Cafe site in Kitsilano

Artistic rendering of 2904 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver. (Yamamoto Architecture)

Over four years after a fire destroyed two mixed-use commercial buildings on the 2900 block of West 4th Avenue, including the legendary Topanga Cafe, there are new plans in the works to finally build up again.

Yamamoto Architecture has submitted a development permit application to the City of Vancouver to turn the vacant lot at 2904 West 4th Avenue into a 70-foot-tall, six-storey building with a mix of market rental housing and retail and restaurant uses.

This site is a mid-block location on the south side of West 4th Avenue between Bayswater and Macdonald streets in Kitsilano.

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The unit size mix is 35 studio units and 19 two-bedroom units for a total of 54 secured market rental homes.

About 3,900 sq ft of ground-level commercial space will activate the street front and provide continuity for the retail strip, with at least one of the three units designed for restaurant capabilities.

Artistic rendering of 2904 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver. (Yamamoto Architecture)

“The West 4th Avenue frontage is defined by dark brick piers that alternate with sliding doors and Juliette balconies, creating a strong rhythm and ordered facade,” reads the architect’s rationale for the simple design.

“At the ground level, the facade is located closer to the street than the upper floors, and the piers are re-interpreted as glass boxes that serve as display areas for the retail stores. A large, solid canopy defines the ground level and provides weather protection along the street.”

The total floor area will reach 38,700 sq ft, providing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 3.5 times larger than the size of the 11,066 sq ft lot. Two underground levels will provide 30 vehicle parking stalls and 89 secured bike parking spaces.

This project is being pursued under the previous Vancouver City Council’s Secure Rental Policy, which streamlines rental housing zoning allowing up to six-storey 100% rental housing buildings with ground-level commercial uses within C2-commercial districts on arterial streets.

Before the fire, including Topanga Cafe:

Site of 2904 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, before the 2018 fire, including Topanga Cafe. (Google Maps)

Existing condition:

Existing condition of the site of 2904 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Site of 2904 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

In July 2018, a fire that was ruled accidental spread across the one-storey west building and the two-storey east heritage building, where Topanga Cafe, a popular Mexican restaurant, had been located for 40 years. The family that owned and operated the restaurant did not reopen at another location following the devastating blaze.

Records show the lot of the previous one-storey building was acquired for $4.8 million in January 2022 to create a land assembly with the adjacent lot, which also changed hands in another deal.

Just across the street at the northwest corner of the intersection of Macdonald Street and West 4th Avenue, the longtime vacant lot and adjacent properties of 2803-2865 West 4th Avenue will be redeveloped into a four-storey building with about 60 condominium homes and a significant ground-level commercial space. An early iteration of the project’s design suggested the building will incorporate a London Drugs, but more recent artistic renderings suggest it will be a grocery store instead.

Fire destroys two buildings on the 2900 block of West 4th Avenue, including Topanga Cafe, on July 5, 2018. (@everydayisawesome/Instagram)

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