1,700 rental homes proposed near Rupert SkyTrain in Vancouver (RENDERINGS)

March 2022 concept for the Skeena Terrace redevelopment at 2298 Cassiar Street, Vancouver. (BC Housing)

BC Housing is proposing to build its single largest rental housing project through the redevelopment of the 11-acre Skeena Terrace site in the southeast corner of the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood of East Vancouver.

Just over a year after announcing the intention to redevelop the site at 2298 Cassiar Street with more affordable homes, the details of a preliminary draft concept for the project were released today for public consultation.

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The property is framed by East 5th Avenue to the north, Skeena Street to the east, Lougheed Highway to the south, and Cassiar Street to the west. The site is owned and operated by the provincial government.

This will be a transit-oriented development — about a three-minute walk to SkyTrain Rupert Station.

2298 Cassiar Street Vancouver Skeena Terrace

Site of Skeena Terrace at 2298 Cassiar Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Site of Skeena Terrace at 2298 Cassiar Street, Vancouver. (Government of BC)

The concept calls for over 1,700 secured rental homes, including one-for-one replacement of the 1960s-built, 230 units of social housing that exist on the site, which are currently home to about 600 tenants.

Current tenants will be offered the new housing first, with affordable rents based on tenant income, and support for moving into their new home on-site. BC Housing will strive to avoid temporary off-site relocation as much as possible, which will be achieved by building the redevelopment in phases.

There would also be a net gain of about 1,500 rental homes, entailing about 910 new additional below-market rental homes with rent geared to income, and 560 new additional market rental homes.

About 60% of the units will be suitable for families, each with two or more bedrooms.

skeena terrace 2298 cassiar street vancouver

March 2022 concept for the Skeena Terrace redevelopment at 2298 Cassiar Street, Vancouver. (BC Housing)

Four towers are proposed at heights of 18, 25, 25, and 30 storeys, along with two mid-rise buildings and several six-storey wood-frame buildings.

The two tallest buildings will be located at the low point of the site near the intersection of Lougheed Highway and Skeena Street. Both of these towers, near the existing City of Vancouver “welcome” sign, will serve to be an architectural “gateway” for travellers arriving into the city’s borders from Burnaby.

There are plans to provide at least one 69-space childcare facility on-site. As well, between 8,000 and 15,000 sq ft of local-serving retail and restaurant space will be provided on the Cassiar Street side of the site.

The new Skeena Hut tenant amenity space will be built on site, which will include an outdoor amenity space for larger community events and gatherings.

The total floor area will be roughly 1.5 million sq ft, providing a floor area ratio density of a floor area of about three times larger than the total size of the site.

March 2022 concept for the Skeena Terrace redevelopment at 2298 Cassiar Street, Vancouver. (BC Housing)

There will be a pedestrian-friendly public realm of interconnecting pathways across the site, linking to all buildings, open and green spaces, amenities, and the new Thunderbird Plaza, which will be built immediately east of the existing Thunderbird community centre and elementary school. The plaza will be the main community hub, activated by the retail and restaurant spaces, and the childcare facility on its edges.

Pedestrian links to the southeast corner of the site will be optimized, given that it will be the main point of arrival onto Skeena Terrace from the SkyTrain station.

Public consultation on the preliminary redevelopment concept is being held through an online survey, which is open now until April 11, 2022.

Input collected from this public consultation will be used to finalize the Skeena Terrace policy statement, a site-wide master plan, for Vancouver City Council’s decision in July 2022. If approved, the policy statement will guide future rezoning applications by BC Housing.

The municipal government is also eyeing the surrounding area for significant transit-oriented development changes that add more housing and employment uses. In late 2021, the city kicked off a planning process for hundreds of acres that surround both Renfrew Station and Rupert Station.

renfrew rupert station skytrain area plan

Major development sites within the area plan for SkyTrain’s Renfrew and Rupert stations. (City of Vancouver)

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