27-storey tower with cascading terraces proposed for new Pearson Dogwood phase

Artistic rendering of 698 West 57th Avenue at the Pearson Dogwood redevelopment in Vancouver. (IBI Group / Onni Group)

The design of one of the tallest phases of the massive Pearson Dogwood redevelopment in South Vancouver has been revealed.

Onni Group has submitted a development application to build a 292-ft-tall, 27-storey mixed-use tower – with a seven-storey podium featuring cascading terraces – for Parcel C of its 25.4-acre redevelopment.

This particular parcel at 698 West 57th Avenue will largely contain 171 market residential units, with the unit mix consisting of 66 one-bedroom units, 99 two-bedroom units, and six three-bedroom units.

Site of the 698 West 57th Avenue within the Pearson Dogwood redevelopment. (IBI Group / Onni Group)

The skyline of the Pearson Dogwood redevelopment in Vancouver. (IBI Group / Onni Group)

There would also be six one-bedroom supportive residential units as part of the replacement housing for George Pearson Centre, 17,545 sq. ft. of ground floor retail, a 96,000 sq. ft. community health centre within levels one to four, a swimming pool within level three, and a 10,000 sq. ft. daycare on the fourth level.

Artistic rendering of 698 West 57th Avenue at the Pearson Dogwood redevelopment in Vancouver. (IBI Group / Onni Group)

The retail space and a clock tower will face towards the core of the redevelopment project, providing the building’s frontage with Pearson Plaza – a large paved gathering space in the new neighbourhood.

Artistic rendering of 698 West 57th Avenue at the Pearson Dogwood redevelopment in Vancouver. (IBI Group / Onni Group)

“The project uses simple, repetitive, two dimensional and three dimensional patterns to create organic architectural responses to the conditions of the large site,” reads the design rationale by architectural firm IBI Group, adding that “intersecting volumes” will create a “dynamic interconnected form.”

Artistic rendering of 698 West 57th Avenue at the Pearson Dogwood redevelopment in Vancouver. (IBI Group / Onni Group)

A total of 433 parking stalls within four underground levels accessed from a new internal street are planned.

Artistic rendering of 698 West 57th Avenue at the Pearson Dogwood redevelopment in Vancouver. (IBI Group / Onni Group)

This follows the proponent’s submission earlier this year of its development application of Parcel A on the southeastern corner of the redevelopment, which calls for a 26-storey, 285-ft-tall tower and a 22-storey, 243-ft-tall tower – with 445 residential units, including 307 market residential units and 138 social housing units.

Artistic rendering of the first phase of the Pearson Dogwood redevelopment at 7433 Cambie Street, Vancouver. (IBI Group / Onni Group)

A policy statement for the redevelopment of the entire site was approved by Vancouver City Council in July 2017. When all phases are fully complete, Pearson Dogwood will have:

Dozens of buildings reaching a height of up to 28 storeys, with the tallest buildings along the edge of Cambie Street
2,160 market residential units with a total floor area of 2.3 million sq. ft.
361 units of City-owned social housing
179 affordable housing units
114 supportive residential units to house existing residents of George Pearson Centre
12 indigenous residential units for the Musqueam First Nation
69-space childcare facility
213,514 sq. ft. of health-related facilities including a community health centre and complex residential care facility with 150 beds operated by Vancouver Coastal Health

Preliminary conceptual concept of the Pearson Dogwood redevelopment. (Vancouver Coastal Health)

Ample public and green spaces are planned, including a centrally located 2.5-acre public park, a one-acre urban farm, and a public plaza connected by a network of diagonal pathways across the entire Pearson Dogwood site.

A plaza on the northeast corner of the site – at the intersection of Cambie Street and West 57th Avenue – will also double as the entrance to the future 57th Avenue Station of the Canada Line.

Future location of the additional Canada Line station at Pearson Dogwood. (City of Vancouver)

This additional station will be one of the redevelopment’s largest community amenities, but it is not guaranteed due to the complexity of constructing the underground station and the associated high construction cost.

The developer is currently committed to providing a $20-million cash contribution towards the construction of the future station during the first two phases of redevelopment.

If the station is deemed unattainable in the long-term, the developer’s contribution could go towards other amenity priorities in the area, although a station has been deemed necessary to support the planned density.

Pearson Dogwood is one of four major, emerging urban clusters on the Cambie Street Corridor; the other three clusters are located at the Heather Street Lands (Old RCMP headquarters), Oakridge-41st Station, Langara Gardens (located immediately north of Pearson Dogwood), and Marine Drive Station.

A small portion of Pearson Dogwood is currently the site of two temporary modular housing buildings for the homeless. These buildings have 78 single-occupancy units and will remain at the site for up to five years, until the portion of site is ready for redevelopment.

See also