UBC plans to further densify Wesbrook Place with 4,600 more residents | Daily Hive

2025 land use changes for Wesbrook Place South. (UBC)

Even more residents could call Wesbrook Place home over the long term, as the University of British Columbia (UBC) has plans to amend the neighbourhood’s land uses to enable greater building density and height.

This specifically pertains to the southeast corner of the neighbourhood, known as Wesbrook Place South. It is the final undeveloped parcel within the broader Wesbrook Place community, which saw construction on its first phases begin in 2007 — replacing some research facilities and previously forested areas. Generally, the neighbourhood’s construction progression has moved from north to south.

In June 2025, UBC’s board of governors is expected to review the updated land use plan for approval.

Currently, there are approximately 5,400 homes completed, under construction, or approved, providing space for a population of about 11,600 residents.

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If the original land use plan for Wesbrook Place were followed, the neighbourhood would now be nearing capacity, with Wesbrook Place South accommodating approximately 800 homes for about 1,800 people — bringing the neighbourhood’s total population to about 12,500 residents upon full buildout.

However, in the 2025 land use updates, future developments within Wesbrook Place South would generate about 2,100 homes for approximately 4,600 residents. Compared to the original land use plan, the updates would increase the number of homes and residents within this last remaining undeveloped parcel by over 150 per cent.

Site of Wesbrook Place South within the Wesbrook Place neighbourhood. (UBC)

2025 land use changes for Wesbrook Place South, with the maximum number of floors indicated. (UBC)

The proposal includes approximately 2.1 million sq. ft. of total building floor area across a mix of towers reaching up to 39 storeys — making them not only the tallest buildings at Wesbrook Place but also across the entire UBC campus, the University Endowment Lands and anywhere west of Vancouver’s municipal boundary at Blanca Street — and low/mid-rise up to six storeys.

The planned high-rise towers provide a southward continuation of the parade of towers on the neighbourhood’s easternmost edge along Binning Road, fronting Pacific Spirit Regional Park.

Original land use plan for Wesbrook Place South. (UBC)

2025 land use changes for Wesbrook Place South. (UBC)

These changes push Wesbrook Place’s total future buildout to about 7,500 homes for up to approximately 16,200 residents.

The housing tenures — such as strata, leasehold, market rental, and below-market — have not been established in the land use updates to provide flexibility for future housing needs and market conditions on a site-by-site basis.

However, according to the university, these updates support the campus-wide Housing Action Plan targets, including rental housing for up to 40 per cent of new neighbourhood developments, below-market faculty/staff rental housing for up to 25 per cent, and market rental housing for those who work or study on campus for up to 15 per cent.

Under the original land use plan, Wesbrook Place has a buildout capacity for 131,000 sq. ft. of commercial retail, restaurant, and service spaces. This is now completely achieved, with the retail village — anchored by the Save On Foods grocery store and home to dozens of restaurants, such as Sports Illustrated Clubhouse, and other businesses — located within the northern half of the neighbourhood near West 16th Avenue.

The land use update calls for a secondary smaller cluster of retail and restaurant uses within Wesbrook Place South, which would add 30,000 sq. ft. — bringing the neighbourhood’s total commercial space to 161,000 sq. ft. This will better service the demand that can be expected from a larger residential population.

In total, the entire Wesbrook Place neighbourhood would grow to a maximum buildable floor area of 7.285 million sq. ft.

2025 land use changes for Wesbrook Place South. (UBC)

To support Wesbrook Place South’s high-density uses, the land use update also reinforces improvements to the area’s walking and cycling infrastructure. As well, a large public park, Research Park, recently reached completion in this southern area of the new neighbourhood.

Wesbrook Place also has a community centre and its own high school, University Hill Secondary School, which relocated to the neighbourhood in 2013 after a major renovation and expansion was performed to the former National Research Council complex on West 16th Avenue. As well, there is space set aside near the secondary school to provide the neighbourhood with its own elementary school in the future.

The land use changes align with UBC’s recently approved 2050 campus-wide master plan, which calls for new building capacity for 24,000 more residents and a significant expansion of academic space. The master plan also prescribed greater density and height for Wesbrook Place South.

2025 land use changes for Wesbrook Place South. (UBC)

Existing condition of the UBC campus:

Existing condition of the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus. (Google Earth)

Future condition of the UBC campus:

2050 UBC Vancouver campus master plan. (UBC)

Just to the northwest of Wesbrook Place, UBC also has plans for a new “Stadium Neighbourhood” for about 3,500 residents in buildings up to 32 storeys, with a mix of below-market homes for faculty, staff, and students, as well as market homes to fund the new neighbourhood’s amenities, parks, and utilities, and a new replacement Thunderbird Stadium — an outdoor stadium with 5,000 seats, expandable to 10,000 seats.

The Wesbrook Place South land use updates and the potential plans for the new Stadium Neighbourhood could bolster UBC’s case for improved public transit bus services via 41st Avenue, 49th Avenue, and Southwest Marine Drive, and the future UBC SkyTrain extension.

Currently, the plans for the UBC SkyTrain extension assume one on-campus station situated at the academic core in the vicinity of the UBC trolley bus loop on University Boulevard. However, UBC has been advocating for a second station in the general vicinity of the Stadium Neighbourhood and Wesbrook Place, which would bring the Millennium Line’s new westernmost terminus to the south campus area.

The neighbourhood is already served by frequent bus routes such as the No. 49 UBC/Metrotown Station, which was rerouted through the neighbourhood via Wesbrook Place over a decade ago, as well as various other bus routes along West 16th Avenue.

Existing condition of the UBC Stadium Neighbourhood area. (UBC)

ubc stadium neighbourhood thunderbird stadium

Artistic rendering of a concept for the new UBC Stadium Neighbourhood and UBC Thunderbird Stadium replacement. (UBC)

June 2019 community amenities concept plan for UBC Stadium Neighbourhood. (UBC)

UBC SkyTrain route options for a second station reaching south campus, near Wesbrook Place. (TransLink)

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