New renderings of the future West Point Grey Safeway redevelopment

2023 revised artistic rendering of the Safeway redevelopment at 4545 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/BentallGreenOak)

The former Safeway site in the retail village of West Point Grey is now one big step closer to its potential mixed-use redevelopment with significant rental housing.

The decades-old Safeway store, an anchor business for Point Grey Village, was demolished soon after its sale and closure in 2018. The site has been vacant ever since.

Five years later, BentallGreenOak has finally submitted its rezoning application to redevelop the three-acre property at 4545 West 10th Avenue, spanning most of a city block near the northwest corner of the intersection of Sasamat Street and West 10th Avenue.

This follows the developer’s two previous pre-application public consultations, with an initial design presented in May 2022 and a refined and expanded design with more rental housing in July 2023.

You might also like:

The newly submitted rezoning application builds on the same design that was presented this past summer.

4545 West 10th Avenue Vancouver West Point Grey Village BentallGreenOak

The former Safeway site at 4545 West 10th Avenue in Vancouver’s West Point Grey Village. (Google Maps)

Previous Safeway store buildings at 4545 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (BentallGreenOak)

The former Safeway site at 4545 West 10th Avenue in Vancouver’s West Point Grey Village. (Google Maps)

The tallest buildings will front West 10th Avenue, including a 197 ft tall, 19-storey tower and an 182 ft tall, 17-storey tower, with both towers sharing a six-storey podium. Two other buildings on the site, reaching six storeys, will front West 9th Avenue.

The entire residential component of the project will be dedicated to secured purpose-built rental housing. There will now be 569 rental homes, including 455 market rental units and 114 moderate-income rental units.

The unit size mix is 29 studios, 327 one-bedroom units, 174 two-bedroom units, and 39 three-bedroom units.

4545 West 10th Avenue Vancouver Safeway rezoning 2023

2023 revised artistic rendering of the Safeway redevelopment at 4545 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/BentallGreenOak)

There is enormous student housing demand within West Point Grey, given the area’s close proximity to the University of British Columbia, and the frequent bus public transit connections to campus. It is expected that this rental housing project will help fill much of the unmet demand.

“The development is poised to provide much-needed rental housing for university students, faculty, and staff, as well as for families and individuals associated with the university community,” reads the application.

In addition to the rental housing, there will be nearly 41,000 sq ft of commercial uses fronting West 10th Avenue, including a 37,000 sq ft grocery store to replace the previous Safeway and 3,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant spaces across two commercial units.

2023 revised artistic rendering of the Safeway redevelopment at 4545 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/BentallGreenOak)

4545 West 10th Avenue Vancouver Point Grey Safeway Redevelopment 2023 7

2023 preliminary revised concept for the redevelopment of the former Safeway site at 4545 West 10th Avenue in Vancouver’s West Point Grey Village. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/BentallGreenOak)

4545 West 10th Avenue Vancouver Point Grey Safeway Redevelopment 2023

2023 revised artistic rendering of the Safeway redevelopment at 4545 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/BentallGreenOak)

The new businesses, particularly the return of the full-sized grocery store and the provision of homes for over 1,000 residents suitable for students, young professionals, and downsizers, are expected to reinvigorate the struggling retail district.

“The proposed development is likely to boost local commerce. This fits with city-wide strategies to encourage vibrant mixed-use communities and support local economies,” continues the application.

“By replacing the previous grocery store with a new mixed-use, retail and residential development, the proposal reinforces the neighbourhood’s identity as a place for living, shopping, and leisure. The proposed mixed-use development encourages diversity in urban design. It incorporates retail and residential uses, with the retail portion enhancing the quality of street life. With a mixture of market and affordable rental homes, the development creates a blend of socio-economic backgrounds in a single community, promoting social cohesion.”

There will also be a new publicly accessible mid-block, north-south pedestrian connection, including a 6,000 sq ft public plaza fronting West 10th Avenue.

Two underground levels will accommodate 466 vehicle parking stalls and over 1,100 secured bike parking spaces.

2023 revised concept of the Safeway redevelopment at 4545 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/BentallGreenOak)

4545 west 10th avenue vancouver safety Durante Kreuk

2023 landscaping plan for the Safeway redevelopment at 4545 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver. (Durante Kreuk/BnetallGreenOak)

Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership is the project’s lead architectural firm, while Durante Kreuk is the landscaping firm, which has conceived significant green spaces for the project by turning the rooftop areas into landscaped outdoor amenity areas for residents.

The project would generate 494,000 sq ft of building floor area, establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 3.84 times larger than the size of the lot.

If approved, this would be the largest development in the immediate area since the construction of the Sasamat Gardens townhouse project just to the east.

This is a transit-oriented development located adjacent to bus stops for the 99 B-Line, No. 9 and No. 14 bus routes and within close walking proximity to the Blanca bus loop for the No. 14 bus route.

You might also like: