Construction starts on rental towers on Denny's site at Marine Drive SkyTrain

Construction begins on 575 rental homes on former Denny's site near SkyTrain Marine Drive Station (RENDERINGS)

2023 artistic rendering of The Cascades rental housing complex at 622 Southwest Marine Drive, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)

Construction is now officially underway on the second largest secured purpose-built rental housing project in the transit-oriented development radius of SkyTrain Marine Drive Station.

A groundbreaking ceremony, with Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim in attendance, was held this morning to formally mark the construction start of The Cascades rental housing complex at 622 Southwest Marine Drive — just a three-minute walk west from the transit hub and Marine Gateway.

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The complex of two towers — reaching 28 and 32 storeys — is a project by Chard Development, which gained the rezoning approval from the previous makeup of Vancouver City Council in early 2022.

In preparation for construction, the 50-year-old Denny’s restaurant closed at the end of December 2022.

622-688 Southwest Marine Drive Vancouver

Site of 622 Southwest Marine Drive, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)

the cascades marine drive construction june 15 2023

Groundbreaking ceremony for The Cascades rental housing complex on June 15, 2023. (Sukhwant Dhillon)

the cascades 622 southwest marine drive vancouver rental housing

The previous Denny’s restaurant at 622 Southwest Marine Drive, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

May 2023 demolition and site preparation work for The Cascades at the former Denny’s restaurant site at 622 Southwest Marine Drive, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

2023 artistic rendering of The Cascades rental housing complex at 622 Southwest Marine Drive, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)

The Cascades, the name of the complex, will generate a total of 575 rental homes. While the vast majority of these units will be market rental units, the developer has set aside 20% of the total number of units for below-market rental units. This includes 28 affordable units at deep below-market rents for female single parents and their children, operated by YWCA Metro Vancouver.

Residents will have access to over 20,000 sq ft of indoor amenity spaces, including a sports court, fitness gym, juice bar, golf simulators, dog lounge, co-working space, guest suites, and rooftop space.

2023 artistic rendering of The Cascades rental housing complex at 622 Southwest Marine Drive, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)

Within the lower floors, there will be a 7,000 sq ft childcare facility with a capacity for up to 49 kids, as well as 17,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant space to activate the various outdoor public spaces, including a plaza-like, mid-block connection between the tower podiums from Marine Drive to West 70th Avenue. Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership is the project’s architectural design firm.

“We are excited to introduce The Cascades as another example of Chard Development’s commitment to creating diverse and inclusive housing communities,” said Byron Chard, president and CEO of Chard Development, in a statement.

“This project will not only bring much-needed rental homes to Vancouver but also prioritize affordability, accessibility, and community well-being. We look forward to welcoming residents to this exceptional development.”

Construction on The Cascades is scheduled to reach completion in late 2026.

2023 artistic rendering of The Cascades rental housing complex at 622 Southwest Marine Drive, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Chard Development)

Closer to the transit hub, just across the street from the SkyTrain station and bus exchange, construction began in October 2022 on the redevelopment of Ashley Mar Housing Co-operative by Intracorp Homes and Oxford Properties. Three towers up to 32 storeys will contain 649 homes, making it the largest rental housing project in the immediate area, including 524 market rental homes and 125 below-market co-op units. Deep excavations are currently in progress for the new Ashley Mar complex, which will reach completion in Summer 2025.

But the proposed second phase of Marine Gateway could become the area’s largest rental housing and overall housing project. PCI Developments has outlined a proposal to build a mixed-use development with five towers immediately south of the bus exchange. In addition to significant retail, office, and light industrial spaces, there would be over 1,000 homes, including 680 market rental units, 170 moderate-income rental units, and 203 below-market ownership homes. However, PCI’s proposal has yet to advance into a formal rezoning application.

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