15-storey rental housing tower proposed near Fraser Street and Kingsway

Artistic rendering of 3231-3245 Fraser Street and 675 East 17th Avenue, Vancouver. (BHA Architecture/Anthem Properties)

If approved, a new 156-ft-tall, 15-storey, mixed-use tower with rental housing near the prominent node of Fraser Street and Kingsway would become the second tallest building along Vancouver’s Fraser Street corridor.

A new rezoning application by Anthem Properties calls for the redevelopment of the old low-storey retail buildings at 3231-3245 Fraser Street and 675 East 17th Avenue — the northwest corner of the intersection of Fraser Street and East 17th Avenue — in Mount Pleasant.

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There would be 110 units of secured purpose-built rental housing under the municipal government’s Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program (MIRHPP), which stipulates at least 20% of the residential floor area be dedicated towards units with below-market rents for incomes between $30,000 and $80,000. This is broken down into 90 market units and 20 MIRHPP below-market units.

“Moderate income units target… a demographic that has been particularly ‘squeezed’ by the rental and affordability crisis here in Vancouver. Moreover, in keeping with City policy, there will be a diverse mix of housing types including studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units,” reads the application designed by BHA Architecture.

3231-3245 Fraser Street 675 East 17th Avenue Vancouver

Site of 3231-3245 Fraser Street and 675 East 17th Avenue, Vancouver. (BHA Architecture/Anthem Properties)

Artistic rendering of 3231-3245 Fraser Street and 675 East 17th Avenue, Vancouver. (BHA Architecture/Anthem Properties)

The unit size mix is 30 studios, 41 one-bedroom units, 38 two-bedroom units, and one three-bedroom unit.

Residents will have access to common indoor and outdoor amenity spaces on both the sixth level and the rooftop on the 15th level, which is a partial indoor level surrounded by expansive outdoor space.

On the ground level, 5,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses will activate the building’s streetfront.

Artistic rendering of 3231-3245 Fraser Street and 675 East 17th Avenue, Vancouver. (BHA Architecture/Anthem Properties)

Three underground levels would contain 69 vehicle parking stalls and 207 secured bike parking spaces. This location can be considered a transit-oriented site, given the frequent bus routes that run along Fraser Street and Kingsway.

The building’s total floor area would reach 88,600 sq ft, establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 6.9 times larger than the size of the 12,800 sq ft land assembly.

There is some recent precedent in the area for high-rise residential buildings. In 2020, Vancouver City Council approved the rezoning allowing a new pair of 14-storey, mixed-use towers to replace the Honda used car dealership just three blocks to the northwest on Kingsway. This will also be a MIRHPP project, with a total of 215 secured purpose-built rental homes.

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