Rental towers up to 25 storeys for former Chevron at Oak Street and 41st Avenue

Rental towers up to 25 storeys proposed for former Chevron gas station at Oak Street and West 41st Avenue in Vancouver

2023 revised design of 5755-5791 Oak Street and 1008 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis/Wesgoup Properties)

A major vertical height increase is being sought by Wesgroup Properties for their proposed mixed-use redevelopment of the former Chevron gas station site at the southwest corner of the intersection of Oak Street and West 41st Avenue in Vancouver.

In September 2020, their original rezoning application for the site at 5755-5791 Oak Street and 1008 West 41st Avenue called for interconnected towers reaching 16 storeys and eight storeys, containing a total of 222 secured purpose-built rental homes.

Then, in November 2021, without changing the height and density, the residential uses were revised to 126 strata condominiums and 57 social housing units, abandoning the previously secured purpose-built market rental housing component.

This condominium/social housing application was cancelled in June 2023, at which point the application was also withdrawn.

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Three months later, a completely new rezoning application has been submitted to the municipal government.

This new third concept calls for a 258 ft tall, 25-storey tower and a 176 ft tall, 17-storey tower, with both towers interconnected by a six-storey-tall base podium.

5755-5791 Oak Street 1008 West 41st Avenue Vancouver Wesgroup Rental Housing

Site of 5755-5791 Oak Street and 1008 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis/Wesgoup Properties)

1008 West 41st Avenue 5763-5791 Oak Street Vancouver

Site of 1008 West 41st Avenue and 5763-5791 Oak Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Redevelopment concepts for 5755-5791 Oak Street Vancouver and 1008 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver: Original 2020 shorter concept (outlined in red) and the revised 2023 taller concept (shaded in dark grey). (Arcadis/Wesgroup Properties)

These new heights and the resulting density exceed the site’s development limitations as prescribed by the City’s Cambie Corridor Plan, which was followed by the original rezoning application. But the proponent notes that the revision “has been designed to cater directly to the City of Vancouver’s housing affordability goals and the Cambie Corridor’s rental housing objectives by providing abundant and much needed secured Market Rental and Affordable Rental housing units to a transit-oriented area.”

Furthermore, the taller towers align with the higher building heights for the future rental housing towers of the Jewish Community Centre redevelopment (up to 26 storeys) immediately to the east, the proposed five-tower redevelopment of the Louis Brier Home & Hospital and Shawnoaks site (up to 30 storeys) immediately to the north, and the Grosvenor Oakridge redevelopment of the old trolley bus depot (up to 26 storeys) to the northeast.

“With the neighbouring approved new developments slated to host several high-rise towers ranging from 20 to 30 storeys, this site is a prime candidate for similar high-density housing,” reads their rationale for going higher.

“This mixed-use rental housing project presents a bold gridded design that commands attention on the primary Oak Street frontage and complements the surrounding recently approved developments planned for the area.”

2023 revised design of 5755-5791 Oak Street and 1008 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver, with future adjacent redevelopments also depicted. (Arcadis/Wesgoup Properties)

2023 revised design of 5755-5791 Oak Street and 1008 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver, with the future Jewish Community Centre rental housing towers also depicted. (Arcadis/Wesgoup Properties)

2023 revised design of 5755-5791 Oak Street and 1008 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver, with the future Louis Brier Home rental housing towers also depicted. (Arcadis/Wesgoup Properties)

The project is designed by European-based firm Arcadis, which acquired Canadian architectural firm IBI Group last year.

With the height increase, Wesgroup is proposing to build 357 secured purpose-built rental homes — 135 more than the original proposal. This includes 283 market rental units and 72 moderate-income rental units.

The unit size mix is 51 studios, 180 one-bedroom units, 112 two-bedroom units, and 14 three-bedroom units. Residents will have access to various shared amenity spaces, including outdoor areas on the second-level rear rooftop and the base podium’s rooftop.

With 16,400 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses on the ground level, the project’s commercial space component is essentially the same as what was originally proposed. But the application’s floor plans show this will now be a single large commercial retail unit, with the developer specifically stating it could be suitable for a grocery store or, alternatively, a pharmacy retail store (e.g. Shoppers Drug Mart).

2023 revised design of 5755-5791 Oak Street and 1008 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis/Wesgoup Properties)

Three underground levels will contain 224 vehicle parking stalls, including 48 stalls for the grocery store. Mezzanine levels will provide 696 secured bike parking spaces.

The total floor area would reach 269,600 sq ft, establishing a floor area ratio (FAR) density of a floor area 7.3 times larger than the land assembly, which entails not only the former gas station site but also a 1959-built, two-storey commercial building. Wesgroup acquired both properties in 2017.

In contrast, the original 2020 proposal had a total floor area of 185,400 sq ft for a density of 5.0 FAR.

The site is about a 14-minute walk from SkyTrain’s Oakridge 41st-Avenue Station, but it is immediately adjacent to the frequent bus services along Oak Street and 41st Avenue, including the stops for the R4 41st Avenue RapidBus.

2023 revised design of 5755-5791 Oak Street and 1008 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver, with future adjacent redevelopment, also depicted. (Arcadis/Wesgoup Properties)

2023 revised design of 5755-5791 Oak Street and 1008 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver. (Arcadis/Wesgoup Properties)

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