Vancity Credit Union branch to be Senakw's first commercial tenant | Daily Hive

Senakw's first three towers on the west side of the Burrard Street Bridge, as seen on May 26, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

While the Senakw development project by Squamish Nation is best associated with its critical mass of rental housing, it also contains a sizeable neighbourhood-serving commercial space component for its small land area, spanning over 100,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant space and 45,000 sq. ft. of office space.

It was announced today that local financial institution, Vancity Credit Union, will be the first tenant for Senakw’s commercial space component.

This will be the Senakw Village Branch, serving as Vancity’s Centre of Indigenous Banking — a move that consolidates the credit union’s Indigenous banking offerings in one location. It is also the credit union’s first on-reserve branch.

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“We are honoured to have the opportunity to bring a Vancity branch to Sen̓áḵw in partnership with the Squamish Nation and Nch’ḵay̓ Development Corporation,” said Michelle Laviolette, director of Indigenous banking at Vancity, in a statement.

“This is more than a new location — it’s an opportunity for us to listen, learn and be guided by the community as we continue to deepen our commitment to reconciliation and economic inclusion. Through this work, we also intend to learn from real-time feedback from Sen̓áḵw Village Branch members to help inform the development of innovative programs and products.”

Phase 1 (Tower 1, Tower 2, and Tower 3) of Senakw, as seen on May 26, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Phase 1 of Senakw, as seen on May 26, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

The branch will open in early Fall 2026, located within the first phase of Senakw — the three towers on the west side of the Burrard Street Bridge’s southern end.

The first residents began moving into Tower 1, the westernmost building, just over two weeks ago. Tower 2 will reach full completion and occupancy in September 2026, while Tower 3 will reach this final stage in December 2026.

All three towers in the first phase contain about 1,400 purpose-built rental homes, including about 280 below-market rental homes for Squamish Nation members and the remaining as market rental homes. These towers include a ground-level retail/restaurant space component, but the vast majority of Senakw’s commercial spaces will be located within the future phases on the east side of the bridge.

Four retail/restaurant units at the base of the first three towers are intended to help animate the surrounding plaza areas, with Squamish Nation design influences extending beyond the architecture itself into details such as stencil-like concrete imprints, landscaping elements, and custom street furniture. Marcus & Millichap began seeking potential tenants for nearly 20,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant space earlier this year.

Spring 2026 construction progress on the first phase of Senakw. (Westbank)

Upon the full completion of all four phases, there will be a total of nearly 6,100 secured purpose-built rental homes for up to 9,000 residents, including over 4,800 market rental homes and about 1,200 below-market rental homes.

“As first residents are welcomed home, Vancity’s arrival marks an important next step in building the complete community envisioned for Sen̓áḵw,” said Jenn Podmore Russell, the Chief Development Officer of Nch’ḵay̓ Development Corporation.

“This is the beginning of the commercial village and a meaningful milestone in the continued growth of the project.”

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