Transformative redevelopments set to be considered by Vancouver City Council | Daily Hive

Concepts of 800-876 Granville St. (left) and the Army & Navy redevelopment (right), Vancouver. (Perkins&Will/Bonnis Properties | Michael Green Architecture/Arcadis/Bosa Properties/Army & Navy Properties)

With the civic election slated for October 2026, the forthcoming months leading into the summer break and campaign period are expected to be exceptionally busy for Vancouver City Council, as a wave of development proposals advances to public hearings.

In fact, some of the most significant project-based rezoning applications proposed in recent years — including proposals catalyzed by the current City Council’s new policies — are set to be considered for approval over the coming months, likely extending well into mid-summer.

Between now and before the election, over 20 public hearing dates to decide on rezoning applications are currently scheduled.

To kick things off, this week, City Council is expected to refer more than half a dozen major, transformative, and/or otherwise notable rezoning applications to public hearing at later dates — in February, sometime before the end of winter.

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One of the most significant applications set to be decided this winter is Bonnis Properties’ proposal for 800 Granville St. (formally addressed as 800-876 Granville St.), which seeks to redevelop nearly the entire city block at the southeast corner of Robson and Granville streets. The plan would fully retain the building housing the Commodore Ballroom and Commodore Billiards, along with preserving several heritage building facades.

This proposal aligns with last year’s approval of the Granville Plan to revitalize the entertainment district, which enables high-density, mixed-use commercial developments that complement and reinforce daytime and nighttime active uses, including office, hotel, retail, restaurant, and entertainment uses. As well, this area plan permits some residential uses at select locations — such as the 800 block of Granville Street — to help initiate early projects to accelerate the Granville Strip’s revitalization.

And 800 Granville St. achieves just that, even after the revision of primary use pivot from office space to secured purpose-built rental housing, while also achieving even more retail and restaurant space than originally contemplated in the first few levels.

Supported by the Granville Plan and various height limit relaxations as a result of changes to the protected mountain view cones, the project calls for two towers reaching 38 storeys and 42 storeys — up to 440 ft. — containing 523 secured purpose-built rental homes and about 195,000 sq. ft. of commercial space, with significant retail space, destination restaurant uses on an upper base podium level overlooking the street, a hotel with roughly 100 guest rooms, and potentially some office space. This commercial space tally does not include the floor area of the existing Commodore building.

If built as planned, this project could have a profound impact on revitalizing the Granville Entertainment District.

800-876 Granville Street Vancouver revision bonnis march 2025 design

March 2025 revised concept of the 800-876 Granville St. redevelopment in downtown Vancouver. (Perkins&Will/Bonnis Properties)

Another transformative proposal that is expected to enter public hearing later this winter is the “Cohen Block” redevelopment of the former Army & Navy department store complex at 15-27 West Hastings St. and 8-36 West Cordova St. at the southernmost extent of Gastown. Like 800 Granville St., this project saw a major revision following office demand and City policy changes, with the office space pivoted into a sizeable hotel, and tower heights greatly increased for more residential uses — made possible by view cone changes.

In partnership with Bosa Properties, Army & Navy Properties is looking to redevelop the site into 738 secured purpose-built rental homes, a hotel with 179 guest rooms, and roughly 20,000 sq. ft. of ground-level retail/restaurant uses.

The lower levels of the new West Cordova Street building, which will preserve the heritage brick facade, are proposed for hotel use, with a residential tower rising above to a total height of 20 storeys along the West Cordova Street frontage. The West Hastings Street side of the redevelopment will see the project’s tallest tower, containing residential uses, reaching 39 storeys — a height of 376 ft.

This Army & Navy project could provide Gastown and the Downtown Eastside with a much-needed infusion of commercial activity when complete. It would be the largest redevelopment in the area since Woodward’s over a decade and a half ago.

army & navy cohen block 15-27 west hastings street vancouver march 2025

March 2025 revised concept of the Cohen Block redevelopment of the former Army & Navy in downtown Vancouver. (Michael Green Architecture/Arcadis/Bosa Properties/Army & Navy Properties)

City Council is also expected to consider Concert Properties and Peterson Group’s rezoning application for the 21-acre Langara Gardens project, which will significantly densify the site through the demolition of most of the 1970s-built, low-rise rental housing structures with 270 units. The four existing high-rise rental housing towers with 335 units will be fully retained.

Langara Gardens at 7051 Ash Crescent is situated at the northwest corner of the intersection of Cambie Street and West 57th Avenue. Its residential density and tower heights will almost mirror Onni Group’s major Cambie Gardens (Pearson Dogwood) redevelopment immediately to the south.

The redevelopment will add 10 high-rise towers reaching up to 45 storeys in height, along with various mid-rise and low-rise structures, containing about 2,600 new additional homes — a mix of strata market ownership condominium housing, secured purpose-built rental housing, and social housing — as well as a childcare facility for 74 kids, and new public park and open spaces. Langara Gardens is about a 10-minute walk north to SkyTrain’s Langara-49th Avenue Station or an 18-minute walk south to SkyTrain’s Marine Drive Station.

Further to the south along the Cambie Street Corridor, another rezoning application expected to be considered by City Council in a public hearing soon is the major social housing project for 8080 Yukon St. — the redevelopment of Southwynd Place, located immediately northeast of Marine Drive Station and Marine Gateway.

Purpose Driven Development and Kiwanis-Soroptimist Senior Citizens Housing Society are seeking to redevelop the two-acre property into 903 social housing units contained within four new buildings, including three high-rise towers reaching up to 32 storeys. This project represents a 10-fold increase from the number of social housing units that currently exist on the site.

Langara Gardens 7051 Ash Crescent Vancouver 2023

2023 revised artistic rendering of Langara Gardens at 7051 Ash Crescent, Vancouver. (James Cheng Architects/Concert Properties/Peterson Group)

8080 yukon street vancouver marine drive social housing Southwynd Place redevelopment

Concept of the Southwynd Place redevelopment at 8080 Yukon St., Vancouver. (Soroptimist International of Vancouver/Kiwanis Club of Vancouver/GBL Architects)

Additionally, public hearings are also expected to be held later this winter for three rezoning applications for projects spearheaded by the City of Vancouver.

City Council will consider City staff’s proposal to build the municipally-owned secured purpose-built market rental housing projects of 1402-1462 Burrard St., 1401-1451 Hornby St. and 900 Pacific St., which is a 1.8-acre largely vacant site at the north end of the Burrard Street Bridge, and 1405 Main St. and 1510 Quebec St., which is the surface vehicle parking lot immediately south of SkyTrain’s Main Street-Science World Station.

The Burrard/Hornby/Pacific project involves construction two towers reaching 40 storeys and 52 storeys — up to 541 ft. — containing 1,089 market rental homes, along with 13,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant space. The Main/Quebec project entails two towers reaching 25 storeys and 40 storeys — up to 425 ft. — containing 13,500 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant uses.

In October 2025, City Council narrowly rejected City staff’s proposal to create a City-owned, for-profit real estate development company to oversee City-owned market rental housing projects. The initiative was intended to serve a dual purpose: providing homes for middle-income working individuals and families, while generating a significant new long-term revenue source for the municipal government.

Although these market rental housing projects will not be led by a new City-owned company, City staff later told Daily Hive Urbanized that the active rezoning applications supporting the proposed developments will still be advanced, with a different path forward for delivering the projects expected to be identified at a later time.

A public hearing is also expected for the rezoning application for the new Olympic Village Elementary School project, a partnership between the City and the Vancouver School Board. Located on the vacant site at 215 West 1st Ave., next to the Southeast False Creek seawall, the project would be a four-storey, 85,000 sq. ft. building with capacity for up to 630 students, along with a school-aged childcare facility offering 60 before- and after-school care spaces. The design includes outdoor play areas on the rooftop, as well as a potential 18,000 sq. ft. outdoor play space replacing Hinge Park’s existing open grassy area immediately north of the school building footprint, closer to the seawall.

1402-1460 Burrard Street 900 Pacific Street 1401-1451 Hornby Street Vancouver Burrard Bridge tower

Concept for the Vancouver Housing Development Office site of 1402-1460 Burrard St., 900 Pacific St., and 1401-1451 Hornby St., Vancouver. (Diamond Schmitt Architects/City of Vancouver)

1405 Main Street 1510 Quebec Street Vancouver rental towers

Concept of 1405 Main St. and 1510 Quebec St., Vancouver. (HCMA/Archeology/City of Vancouver)

olympic village elementary school vancouver vsb

May 2025 highly preliminary concept of Olympic Village Elementary School. (McFarland Marceau Architects/Vancouver School Board)

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