12-storey rental building proposed for Pender Street in downtown Vancouver

12-storey rental housing building proposed near West Pender and Richards streets corner in downtown Vancouver

Artistic rendering of the proposed rental housing building at 424-430 West Pender Street (left) and the adjacent rental housing buildings under construction at 424 West Pender Street and 510 Richards Street (right) in downtown Vancouver. (Architectural Collective/IBI Group/Onni Group)

A mid-block site on the south side of West Pender Street between Homer and Richards streets in downtown Vancouver could become a 12-storey mixed-use building with rental housing.

A new rezoning application has been submitted for 430-440 West Pender Street, which is currently occupied by low-storey structures built in 1909 and 1913.

A new 115-ft-tall building will rise from the site while retaining and preserving the heritage facades, including the Tiedemann Block, which is under the Vancouver Heritage Registrar’s Class B designation. The design is by local firm Architectural Collective.

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There will be a total of 80 secured purpose-built market rental homes, with a size mix of 60 studio and 20 two-bedroom units. Indoor and outdoor amenities for residents will be situated on the top floor, including a 1,300 sq ft artist studio.

On the ground level, two retail/restaurant units will carry a combined total of about 2,000 sq ft of commercial space.

Site of 430-440 West Pender Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Site of 430-440 West Pender Street, Vancouver. (Architectural Collective)

Artistic rendering of 430-440 West Pender Street, Vancouver. (Architectural Collective)

The total floor area will reach 51,200 sq ft, establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 8.2 times larger than the size of the 6,240 sq ft lot.

Due to the small and narrow lot size and the need to incorporate heritage retention, there will be zero vehicle parking provided — apart from one passenger parking stall and two car share stalls in the laneway. A single underground level and a portion of the rear of the first level will be used for 159 secured bike parking spaces and resident storage.

Artistic rendering of 430-440 West Pender Street, Vancouver. (Architectural Collective)

This project is wedged by two Onni Group development sites — 424 West Pender Street immediately to the east and 510 West Pender Street on the former parking lot at the corner with Richards Street.

Both Onni projects began construction earlier this year, entailing a pair of 11-storey buildings with a combined total of about 140 secured market rental homes above ground-level retail/restaurant uses.

All three market rental housing projects are immediately adjacent to social/supportive housing buildings, including Hotel Canada to the southwest behind the laneway, and Central City Lodge, Atira’s Hutchinson Block, and the former Ramada Hotel, which was converted into supportive housing from the provincial government’s acquisition during the pandemic.

In late 2021, the parkade and low-storey commercial structures at the southwest corner of the intersection of Richards and West Pender streets were acquired in a deal worth $56 million for their redevelopment potential.

510 richards street vancouver onni group rental housing june 2022

June 2022 construction of the Onni Group rental housing building at 510 Richards Street, Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

424-510 west pender street vancouver rental housing onni group

Artistic rendering of the market rental housing projects of 510 Richards Street (right) and 424 West Pender Street (left), Vancouver. The development of the middle site of 330-440 West Pender Street is not depicted. (IBI Group/Onni Group)

Artistic rendering of the market rental housing projects of 510 Richards Street (left) and 424 West Pender Street (right), Vancouver. The development of the middle site of 330-440 West Pender Street is not depicted. (IBI Group/Onni Group)

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