Western Canada's tallest tower, with a world-class observation deck attraction, gets green light from Vancouver City Council

Vancouver City Council has approved one of the most ambitious private sector-led building projects in the city’s history, allowing local developer Holborn Group’s landmark multi-tower redevelopment of the Hudson’s Bay parkade block in Downtown Vancouver to take its next steps.

The public hearing for this rezoning application began on Thursday, July 24, when City Council completed its list of registered public speakers. The debate and decision on the project was made this morning, Monday, July 27, with City Council approving the application in a 7-3 vote.

It was approved along party lines, with the endorsements coming from the ABC governing majority’s elected officials, and the opposition coming from Green city councillor Pete Fry, COPE city councillor Sean Orr, and OneCity city councillor Lucy Maloney.

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This project at 501-595 West Georgia St. will be anchored by Western Canada’s tallest tower, reaching a potential height of up to 1,034 ft. (315 metres) with 100 per cent hotel uses — containing 920 hotel rooms, a 70,000 sq. ft. conference centre with three ballrooms, and a world-class public observation deck attraction that provides Vancouver with an additional significant tourist attraction. It will have 68 storeys, which accounts for some floors with high ceiling heights.

This would be the largest hotel in B.C. by number of rooms, making a meaningful dent in Metro Vancouver’s growing hotel room shortage. As well, the type of event and meeting space provided by the hotel’s conference centre would respond to very strong demand for such spaces.

Next to the supertall skyscraper, two residential towers will reach 783 ft. (239 metres) with 68 storeys and 889 ft. (271 metres) with 79 storeys, and contain a combined total of 1,546 homes — 1,270 strata market ownership condominium homes and 276 secured purpose-built rental homes — along with over 40,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant space on the ground level.

If fully achieved as envisioned, the tallest tower will be the first technical “supertall” tower west of Toronto, and the other two towers will be Vancouver’s second and third tallest buildings and among Metro Vancouver’s highest.

The observation deck attraction will sit at a height of over 1,000 ft. (305 metres) atop the hotel tower, contained within a glass dome with three levels for enjoying the panoramic views, with a garden-like setting for the viewing areas, lounge, and a restaurant.

As a public benefit, the developer will fund and build a separate City-owned, 25-storey social housing tower at 388 Abbott St., immediately east of the Woodward’s complex on the edge of Gastown. As a condition of rezoning, this will be legally timed with the first phase of the Hudson’s Bay parkade block redevelopment. There will be 237 social housing units, a 37-space childcare facility, and about 5,000 sq. ft. of commercial/cultural space.

Before City Council began its debate, Joo Kim Tiah, the principal of Holborn Group and CEO of TA Global Bhd., made a final pitch for the project, saying the project with a supertall tower is intended to create something that will positively contribute to Vancouver’s identity and legacy.

“We live in the most beautiful city in the world and we want to help show off what Vancouver has to offer. We want to provide a project of architectural significance that complements its natural beauty,” said Tiah.

He emphasized the importance of the large event-friendly public plaza, and the glass sponge design inspiration for the trio of tall towers.

He also said his company made a deliberate decision that the tallest tower should not be a private residential tower reserved for luxury homes. Instead of penthouse condominium units, the observation deck attraction at the top of the 100 per cent hotel tower will provide free access to Vancouver residents, which is guaranteed under a legal condition of the rezoning. Out-of-town visitors will pay an admission.

“We made the decision from the start that the tallest tower would have to be publicly accessible commercial tower and observation deck and not a private residence with penthouses in the sky,” Tiah told City Council during the public hearing.

“This building will truly represent all that is local,” said Tiah.

The project’s separate Abbott Street social housing tower component was also a major focus of public speakers last Thursday and City Council’s questions and debate this morning. City staff confirmed the two rezonings would have to be enacted together, and the first residential tower on the Georgia Street site would be tied to the delivery of the Abbott Street social housing building.

When asked, City staff confirmed that the Abbott Street social housing tower, replacing an existing surface vehicle parking lot, would have to receive occupancy before the first market residential tower on the main Hudson’s Bay parkade site receives occupancy.

However, City staff also confirmed the tower with the hotel and observation deck attraction could proceed first without triggering construction of the social housing building, although doing so would still deliver other public benefits, including the $20-million cash community amenity contribution, development cost levies, the public plaza, ground-level improvements, and the additional street-level and underground entrances into SkyTrain’s Granville Station.

Altogether, according to City staff, the public benefits package carries a value of about $305 million, including $184 million for the Abbott Street social housing tower.

COPE city councillor Sean Orr attempted to delay the project by moving an amendment to wait for the completion of the City’s ongoing Higher Buildings Policy review. This delay to consider the project next year was rejected by a majority of City Council, with several city councillors arguing the location — centrally located in Downtown Vancouver’s Central Business District, and adjacent to two SkyTrain stations — is precisely where exceptional height and density belong.

“I can’t think of a better spot for Vancouver to have its tallest building,” said ABC city councillor Peter Meiszner. “This is at the centre of downtown. This is connected by two rapid transit lines.”

Meiszner also noted that towers approaching this height and scale are already being built elsewhere in the Metro Vancouver region outside of the city.

In 2023, the 708-ft-tall (216 metres) Two Gilmore Place tower reached completion to become Metro Vancouver’s new tallest building, exceeding the 659-ft-tall (201 metres) height of the Park Hyatt Vancouver tower (former Shangri-La Vancouver). Later this year, Concord Pacific’s Sky Park tower in Metrotown will become Metro Vancouver’s new tallest building in its final construction ascent to reach a height of 755 ft. (230 metres).

Moreover, there are several other taller towers proposed or planned for Burnaby’s Metrotown and Lougheed Town Centre districts, as well as in Surrey City Centre. This includes projects reaching heights of 853 ft. (260 metres) and 863 ft. (263 metres).

“It’s never made sense to me that the tallest buildings in the Lower Mainland right now are not in downtown Vancouver. I think Downtown Vancouver is the place for exceptional height like this,” continued Meiszner.

But there is a possibility that the final height of the project’s tallest tower could be slightly shorter. During last Friday’s first public hearing date, City staff shared that NAV Canada — the entity that operates and regulates the country’s federal civil air navigation system — suggested a potential height reduction of up to 88 ft. (27 metres) may be needed.

City Council questioned City staff on the potential implications of NAV Canada’s height restrictions for the tallest tower. City staff indicated the municipal bylaw could still permit the proposed height, but if NAV Canada regulations ultimately limit what can physically be built, the tower could be reduced through later development and permitting stages without requiring a new rezoning text amendment for City Council’s consideration. City staff also said there may be opportunities to redistribute some of the unused vertical density to other parts of the complex.

ABC city councillor Mike Klassen also supported the proposal, calling it one of the most significant redevelopment projects City Council has considered in years.

“Downtown Vancouver is where our region expects to accommodate growth, jobs, and investment. If we believe in a vibrant downtown growth and a strong regional economy, then we have to be prepared to support ambitious projects in the places that are best suited to them,” said Klassen.

“We often talk about wanting Vancouver to remain globally competitive and landmark projects don’t happen often. And when they do, they require long-term thinking. While height naturally attracts attention, I think more important question is whether this project contributes positively to the city over the next 50 to 100 years… This proposal represents a major investment in Vancouver at a time when we need confidence in our city’s future.”

ABC city councillor Lisa Dominato said she was struck by both the scale and architectural design of the project.

“I think it will be viewed as iconic,” said Dominato. “I think it will be viewed as a beautiful legacy piece as part of the city.”

ABC city councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung framed the project as an opportunity to replace an underused parkade block with a much more active mix of uses, including hotel rooms and a new major tourism attraction with the plan to build an observation deck.

She also described the parkade location as “a signature piece of real estate in our city and in the heart of downtown,” and said the project aligns with City Council’s broader efforts to restore energy and activity to the core of the city centre.

Kirby-Yung also pressed City staff on protections for the preservation of the Randall Building’s heritage facade on the West Georgia Street side of the development site, saying she did not want to see the developer later avoid that commitment. City staff said the heritage retention is a condition of bylaw enactment, and that if the facade could not be retained, the matter would have to return to City Council and the broader public benefits package would have to be reconsidered.

Some of the focus on the Randall Building’s facade stems from the emergency demolition of the former Dunsmuir Hotel SRO building at the northeast corner of the parkade block in early 2025. Of the 237 social housing units planned for the new Abbott Street tower, 167 would replace the SRO units lost through that demolition. The former Dunsmuir Hotel had been vacant since 2013, when its remaining residents were relocated to purpose-built social housing because the building was already in poor condition. Its condition later worsened to the point that the City issued an emergency demolition order. Before that unplanned demolition, the developer had intended to preserve and integrate the building’s facade — fronting Dunsmuir Street and Richards Street — into the broader redevelopment of the block

Maloney ultimately voted against the project, despite acknowledging its design and potential benefits. She cited concerns over Holborn Group’s broader track record in Vancouver, including the lengthy delays with realizing the new social housing for the Little Mountain site and the loss of the Dunsmuir Hotel building.

During the project’s first public hearing date last Thursday, City staff outlined the legally mandated guarantees and municipal protections that would be placed on Holborn Group to achieve the Abbott Street social housing tower.

Before Holborn Group can receive an above-grade structural permit for the residential portion of the Hudson’s Bay parkade redevelopment, it would have to provide the City with a letter of credit or other security worth approximately $184 million — the assessed value of the in-kind CAC of the Abbott Street social housing tower.