East Vancouver project with 1,900 affordable homes passes new hurdle

BC Housing project in East Vancouver with 1,900 affordable homes passes new hurdle

2024 revised artistic rendering of Skeena Terrace. (Perkins&Will/BC Housing)

Another key approval milestone has been reached for BC Housing’s major Skeena Terrace affordable housing redevelopment in East Vancouver.

During Tuesday evening’s public hearing, which only lasted for almost exactly one hour, Vancouver City Council unanimously approved the project’s rezoning application in a 6-0 vote. Mayor Ken Sim and city councillors Lisa Dominato, Rebecca Bligh, Christine Boyle, and Pete Fry were absent from the meeting.

This transit-oriented development project on a provincially-owned property has moved swiftly through the City of Vancouver’s application and review processes since the proposal was first publicly announced by the Government of British Columbia in early 2021.

The previous makeup of City Council also approved the policy statement master plan for Skeena Terrace in June 2022, which guided the rezoning application submission in May 2023.

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This is a redevelopment of the 11-acre complex of 1960s-built, low-rise social housing buildings at 2476 Cassiar Street, which is at the northeast corner of the intersection of Lougheed Highway (East Broadway) and Cassiar Street — about a seven-minute walk from SkyTrain’s Rupert Station.

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

2298 Cassiar Street Vancouver Skeena Terrace

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

Currently, Skeena Terrace has 230 social housing units, which will be fully replaced in the redevelopment to enable existing residents to return to the neighbourhood.

The June 2022-approved policy statement master plan conceptualized 1,700 homes, including 230 replacement below-market rental homes, 910 additional below-market rental homes, and 560 market rental homes.

For the now-approved rezoning application, major revisions were made to add even more homes — now 1,924 units. This includes 230 replacement below-market rental units, 1,053 additional below-market rental units, and 641 market rental units. About 66% of these homes will be offered at or below the Housing Income Limits of BC Housing, with rents set at no more than 30% of the total household income.

skeena terrace daily hive 2476 Cassiar Street vancouver bc housing 2024

2024 model of Skeena Terrace. (Perkins&Will/BC Housing)

2024 layout of Skeena Terrace. (Perkins&Will/BC Housing)

2024 revised artistic rendering of Skeena Terrace. (Perkins&Will/BC Housing)

The added density is achieved by increasing several tower heights up to 30 storeys, while maintaining the highest tower at 36 storeys. Most of the buildings will remain as low- and mid-rise structures.

“This approval marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to address the affordable housing crisis and create inclusive communities,” said Mayor Ken Sim in a statement. “The redevelopment of Skeena Terrace represents a collaborative approach to providing safe, affordable, and sustainable housing options while enhancing the overall quality of life for residents.”

BC Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon added, “This is a great move by the City of Vancouver to green light these [nearly] 2,000 new affordable homes for people of varying incomes, so they have a safe place to live in the community they love. If we see this type of partnership from municipalities across the province it will lead to an increase in housing stock so British Columbians can find the housing they need.”

In addition to the residential uses, there will be an 11,000 sq ft childcare facility for up to 74 kids and about 13,700 sq ft of local-serving retail/restaurant uses. The total building floor area will reach about 1.6 million sq ft. The design of the redevelopment is by architectural firm Perkins&Will.

There will also be ample park, open, and green spaces, along with a pedestrian-oriented layout, with improved pathways reaching the SkyTrain station.

2024 revised artistic rendering of Skeena Terrace. (Perkins&Will/BC Housing)

For its size, Skeena Terrace will provide minimal parking — just 469 vehicle parking stalls instead of the 996 vehicle parking stalls if it were to follow City policies, and over 5,800 secure bike parking spaces instead of the 4,172 secure bike parking spaces based on City policies.

With the rezoning now approved, the next step for BC Housing is to submit individual development permit applications for each of the project’s seven phases of construction. The phasing also reduces the relocation impacts on Skeena Terrace’s 600 existing residents by allowing many of them to remain on-site until their replacement homes are ready.

Beyond the Skeena Terrace site, the area is expected to see significant densification through the City’s forthcoming Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan, which will be reviewed and finalized by City Council this fall following public consultation.

This area plan will also provide the guidelines for the future high-density, mixed-use redevelopment of the former BC Liquor Distribution Branch warehouse at 3200 East Broadway and 2625 Rupert Station. This future 10-acre redevelopment next to Rupert Station is a partnership between MST Development Corporation and Aquilini Investment Group.

2024 revised artistic rendering of Skeena Terrace. (Perkins&Will/BC Housing)

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