Social housing tower with 74-kid childcare proposed for Boundary Road in Vancouver | Daily Hive

Social housing tower with childcare facility for 74 kids proposed for Boundary Road in Vancouver

Concept of the "Morrison Park" social housing tower at 5027-5053 Boundary Rd., Vancouver. (Formosis Architecture/Orpheus Housing Society Canada)

Four long-vacant, single-family detached residential lots on the easternmost edge of the city of Vancouver could be developed into a social housing tower with a sizeable childcare facility.

Orpheus Housing Society Canada’s new rezoning application calls for the redevelopment of 5027-5053 Boundary Rd. into the “Morrison Park” tower. The development site is situated mid-block, just north of the intersection of Wellington Avenue and Boundary Road.

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This site is just beyond the border of the municipal government’s Joyce-Collingwood Station Precinct Plan, but within the provincial government’s Transit-Oriented Area for this SkyTrain station — roughly a 15-minute walk east from the public transit hub.

5027-5053 Boundary Road Vancouver Morrison Park social housing tower

Site of the “Morrison Park” social housing tower at 5027-5053 Boundary Rd., Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Site of the “Morrison Park” social housing tower at 5027-5053 Boundary Rd., Vancouver. (Formosis Architecture/Orpheus Housing Society Canada)

Concept of the “Morrison Park” social housing tower at 5027-5053 Boundary Rd., Vancouver. (Formosis Architecture/Orpheus Housing Society Canada)

Designed by Formosis Architecture, the project calls for a 251-ft-tall, 22-storey, mixed-use building with 216 social housing units, with a unit size mix of 80 studio units, 59 one-bedroom units, and 77 two-bedroom units. Residents will have shared indoor and outdoor amenity spaces within the base podium and tower rooftops.

Most of the building’s ground level will be dedicated to a private childcare facility, spanning over 6,400 sq. ft. of indoor space, plus more than 2,500 sq. ft of outdoor play space on elevated terraces fronting the laneway. This facility will have a capacity for up to 74 kids.

Additionally, the building will provide nearly 2,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant space across two commercial units to help activate its Boundary Road frontage.

Concept of the “Morrison Park” social housing tower at 5027-5053 Boundary Rd., Vancouver. (Formosis Architecture/Orpheus Housing Society Canada)

According to the proponents, the project saw some major design revisions after receiving initial feedback from City of Vancouver staff on the pre-application submission, which led to the inclusion of an additional underground level, battery-electric vehicle charging, rooftop amenity space that meets standard municipal requirements, and ground-level commercial space, which replaced an earlier design with five ground-oriented residential units.

“This development will deliver much-needed non-market rental homes for families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities alongside a significant childcare program, commercial fast EV charging and commercial retail program, creating a socially beneficial catalyst project that will contribute to the area’s ongoing evolution while meeting critical community needs,” reads the application.

“The proposal is in general alignment with the City of Vancouver’s social housing initiative, a key part of the Vancouver Plan working toward realizing two of the plan’s big ideas: equitable housing and complete neighbourhoods, as well as the broader transit-oriented development and sustainability goals of the City.”

Concept of the “Morrison Park” social housing tower at 5027-5053 Boundary Rd., Vancouver. (Formosis Architecture/Orpheus Housing Society Canada)

Five underground levels will accommodate 136 vehicle parking stalls, including 17 stalls for the childcare facility. Three of these underground levels will also be partially used to provide about 426 secured bike parking spaces.

Altogether, the project will generate a total building floor area of about 160,000 sq. ft., establishing a floor area ratio of a floor area that is nearly eight times larger than the size of the land assembly.

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