530 rental homes and new grocery store proposed to revitalize Point Grey Village

530 rental homes and new grocery store proposed for former Point Grey Safeway site

Preliminary 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)

Four years after the closure of West Point Grey Village’s longtime Safeway grocery store, there is now a proposal to redevelop the three-acre, T-shaped property into a substantial mixed-use redevelopment with 100% rentals for its residential component.

If all goes as planned, in about another four years from now, it would provide the struggling retail village with a new infusion of residents to support businesses and provide the area with new vibrancy. It promises to be the catalyst for the regeneration of the village, with the addition of up to 1,030 new residents, along with commercial space for new businesses including a replacement grocery store.

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The potential number of new on-site residents is equivalent to about 10% of the entire population of the Point Grey neighbourhood.

BentallGreenOak unveiled its preliminary design concept for 4545 West 10th Avenue — between Sasamat Street and Tolmie Street — during an open house Tuesday evening. The property is owned by Sun Life Financial.

Previous condition:

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)

Proposed future condition:

Preliminary 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)

The proposal calls for four buildings reaching five storeys on the northwest parcel, a pair of 14-storey buildings including a grocery store podium on the large centre parcel, and a six-storey building on the northeast parcel.

There would be a total of 530 secured rental homes, including 424 market rental units and 106 moderate income rental units under the city’s Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Project (MIRHPP). Under MIRHPP, the city stipulates at least 20% of the rental housing floor area must be dedicated for moderate incomes — defined as households making between $30,000 and $80,000 annually.

These homes would provide the area with much-needed rental supply, which is strained by the immense demand from University of British Columbia (UBC) students. The rental vacancy rate in Point Grey/Kitsilano is currently hovering at only 0.9%.

A substantial grocery store reaching about 38,000 sq ft is proposed, making it substantially larger than the previous Safeway. The proponent has indicated there is significant interest from chains to re-establish a grocery store at this location, but they have not reached the advanced stage of selecting an operator.

Four small retail units would also be built to activate the West 10th Avenue frontage, re-establishing the strip’s retail continuity with uses such as cafes, restaurants, and other small businesses.

Preliminary 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)

The proposal incorporates various public spaces such as internal pedestrian-only pathways framing the west parcel, including a north-south, mid-block pedestrian connection between West 9th Avenue and West 10th Avenue, and a 3,200 sq ft public plaza fronting a retail unit, West 10th Avenue, and the 1995-built, seven-storey residential building. The centre parcel is also significantly set back along West 10th Avenue to establish a wide 18-ft sidewalk.

On the grocery store’s rooftop within the centre parcel’s podium, a large internal courtyard — accessible from the third level — will serve as a private outdoor amenity space for residents.

During the open house, Mark Whitehead, a partner with local architectural firm Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership, said the buildings are designed in a way to ensure they are “not monolithic.” On the north side, the upper levels are terraced towards West 9th Avenue to reduce shadowing on both the street and the surrounding single-family neighbourhood.

The entrances and private patios of townhouse rental units will further activate the internal pedestrian-only pathways, and provide the frontage for West 9th Avenue.

Preliminary 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)

Overall, the proposal calls for a total floor area of about 468,000 sq ft, establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 3.63 times larger than the size of the lot. A LEED Gold green building standard will be targeted.

Two underground levels will provide 464 vehicle parking stalls — including about 140 vehicle parking stalls for the grocery store’s requirements — and 1,060 secured bike parking spaces.

When asked whether the redevelopment could provide additional public benefits such as a new replacement West Point Grey branch of the Vancouver Public Library (currently located just to the east near Sasamat Street), BentallGreenOak vice president David Roche said the municipal government has indicated a clear preference for generating MIRHPP units, and these affordable homes effectively fulfill the public benefit component of the project.

Following the current pre-application public consultation stage, the proponents will submit a formal rezoning application to the City of Vancouver this summer. The application could reach public hearing with Vancouver City Council sometime next year, with construction potentially beginning in late 2023 or early 2024 for a completion in late 2026 or early 2027.

According to Roche, it is estimated the new residents in the complex will spend $3.2 million annually on food purchases in the immediate area.

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

The intersection of Sasamat Street and West 10th Avenue in West Point Grey Village. This is where the 99 B-Line bus stop is located. The Safeway is also on this city block. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Vacant retail spaces at West Point Grey Village. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

For the past two decades, West Point Grey Village’s businesses have struggled from the neighbourhood’s stagnant population growth, skyrocketing business property taxes, and the completion of significant new retail and restaurant options — including the Save-On-Foods grocery store in Wesbrook Village — within the UBC campus. By greatly reducing the need for students, faculty, and staff to go off campus, the on-campus businesses have directly provided West Point Grey Village with very tough competition.

West Point Grey Village was previously the defacto “university retail village” for the grocery, essential shopping, and dining needs of university students, especially those living in on-campus student housing. Prior to 2001, it was the only and largest retail hub west of Dunbar Street.

The three-block-long retail strip’s downturn — made apparent by the high number of vacant storefronts — accelerated with the 2018 closure of the Safeway, the demolition of the retail buildings in 2019, and then the pandemic. This large site — previously mostly used as surface vehicle parking — has been vacant and fenced off for the past three years.

West Point Grey Village is served by frequent buses, especially the Sasamat Street stop for the 99 B-Line and No. 14 trolley bus. It is also within walking distance to the various other bus routes on Blanca Street and West 4th Avenue.

Earlier this spring, city council endorsed a UBC SkyTrain route that establishes a station location within the nearby Jericho Lands redevelopment, instead of placing a station at Sasamat Street to directly serve West Point Grey Village. City staff assert there will be significantly more housing and job generation benefits and ridership potential from building a Jericho Lands Station. Stations for both Jericho Lands and West Point Grey Village are not being contemplated due to both the high construction cost and expectation that the stations could compete for the same pool of ridership.

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