New office and retail building in downtown Vancouver preserves heritage facade

Artistic rendering of 343 West Pender Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)

A vertical expansion could rise above the heritage facade of the Hartney Chambers building at the northeast corner of the intersection of West Pender Street and Homer Street in downtown Vancouver.

A newly submitted development permit application by Chard Development calls for the redevelopment of 343 West Pender Street, which currently entails the 1908-built, three-storey heritage building originally used as a rooming hotel, and a 1920-built, three-storey office building facing the laneway, but without any remaining heritage value.

You might also like:

Notable current tenants in the existing buildings include Finch’s Tea House, and the Platinum Club.

Site of 343 West Pender Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Existing condition:

Site of 343 West Pender Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

Artistic rendering of 343 West Pender Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)

In the process of building a new 83-ft-tall, seven-storey commercial building on the site, the Hartney Chambers building — which has a B status in Vancouver Heritage register — would be retained, rehabilitated, and restored.

The redevelopment would add two full floors and a partial third floor over the Hartney Chambers building, with its new rooftop used as an outdoor amenity space for office workers.

The building’s new floor area is largely situated within the new building north of the Hartney Chambers preservation.

Artistic rendering of 343 West Pender Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)

Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership is responsible for the design, and is also behind the nearby The Post redevelopment, which preserves and integrates the heritage facade of the Canada Post building.

The proposed total floor area is about 40,000 sq ft, including 876 sq ft for retail uses and 1,854 sq ft for restaurant uses within ground level, and 31,500 sq ft of office space within the upper levels. This would provide the redevelopment with a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 5.48 times larger than the size of 6,238 sq ft lot.

Just two vehicle parking stalls will be provided in the laneway, along with 25 secured bike parking spaces.

Artistic rendering of 343 West Pender Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)

You might also like: