Three mixed-use concepts for Vancouver City Hall redevelopment

Three new mixed-use concepts for Vancouver City Hall redevelopment

Concept C: Preliminary concept of the Civic District campus redevelopment of Vancouver City Hall. (City of Vancouver)

The previous low-storey commercial buildings on the 400 block of West Broadway were demolished to accommodate the construction staging area needs for SkyTrain’s Millennium Line Broadway Extension.

This same block is also the location of the subway station entrance into Broadway-City Hall Station, which will evolve into a major regional interchange hub between the Canada Line and Millennium Line when the new subway reaching Arbutus opens in 2027.

For many years, this site has been envisioned as part of a new Vancouver City Hall campus, but it would be carried out over the long term.

A new City Hall is being eyed as it would significantly reduce the municipal government’s lease expenses for privately owned office space at market rents, resulting in major cost savings over the long term. With a wide mix of major uses beyond City Hall functions, it could also be a revenue-generating opportunity for the City.

Through major upgrades, it would also address the seismic issues of the 1935-built heritage City Hall building at the southern end of the campus fronting West 12th Avenue.

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Planning efforts began before the pandemic, and as of today, for the start of public consultation, there is a first glimpse of the potential high-density, mixed-use design and public space concepts of the new City Hall campus. This would be a redevelopment of an 8.6-acre site framed by West Broadway to the north, Cambie Street to the west, West 12th Avenue to the south, and Yukon Street to the east.

This area entails not only the subway construction staging area and the heritage City Hall building but also the block-sized surface vehicle parking lot on West 10th Avenue, internal driveways, the landscaped north lawn and garden of the existing campus, and the former footprint of the four-storey East Wing building that was demolished nearly a decade ago due to seismic concerns.

vancouver city hall redevelopment civic district existing

Existing condition of the Vancouver City Hall campus. (City of Vancouver)

vancouver city hall redevelopment civic district concept

Overall preliminary concept ideas for the new Civic District redevelopment of the Vancouver City Hall campus. (City of Vancouver)

City staff are seeking public input on three highly preliminary design concepts, with each concept carrying a north-south axis for how the new buildings and public spaces are configured.

Each concept features towers along the east side of the campus fronting Yukon Street, and a grand north-south, mid-block linear plaza and pedestrian path that spans the entire length of the campus from West Broadway — next to the subway station entrance — to the heritage City Hall.

The City states a mix of institutional, office, retail, service, cultural, transportation, parking, and storage uses are being considered for Civic District. Towers on the north block would see mixed uses, while the towers on the south block would see office and institutional uses. Residential uses do not appear to be contemplated.

Preliminary artistic renderings suggest the significant linear plaza will be highly activated by ground-level retail, restaurant, cultural, and civic uses.

Existing condition of Vancouver City Hall. (Shawn.ccf/Shutterstock)

Existing condition of Vancouver City Hall. (City of Vancouver)

Existing condition of Vancouver City Hall. (Pashu Ta Studio/Shutterstock)

The configurations and layouts of the three options are also driven by various view cones.

It is noted by City staff that this configuration of placing the towers on the east side of the campus is influenced by the height restrictions on the west side along Cambie Street due to protected view cone height restrictions, including the northward View Cone 9.0 emanating from the adjacent intersection of Cambie Street and West 10th Avenue, and southward view cones protecting City Hall views emanating from the North False Creek seawall at Drake Street and the Cambie Street Bridge.

Moreover, the maximum tower heights on the east side of the campus are regulated by the height restrictions of northward View Cone 3.0 emanating from Queen Elizabeth Park. With only View Cone 3.0 to contend with, the tower concepts on the east side of the site reach a height of up to 338 ft, as measured from West Broadway’s elevation.

It is noted that City staff, under the previous direction of City Council, are currently considering some potential view cone relaxations, which may provide more design flexibility in how the density is distributed across the site.

vancouver city hall redevelopment civic district view cones impact

Building height restrictions on the Civic District site (Vancouver City Hall campus) due to various view cones. (City of Vancouver)

Each of the three concepts also varies in the number of towers, which impacts the form/massing of the buildings. Tower floor plates and base podium volumes vary in size.

All concepts also remove the east-west West 10th Avenue vehicle roadway that cuts through the site. Instead, the east-west roadway would be replaced with a car-free greenway for pedestrians and cyclists, maintaining the key link of the West 10th Avenue cycling route.

Additionally, the concepts carry different solutions for addressing the site’s slope for the linear plaza. There are varying placements for grand staircases and terraces to account for the changing grade, and the siting of larger plaza areas and potential amphitheatre-like seating. The plaza is intended for events, celebrations, and everyday use.

Two of the three concepts offer a potential secondary street-level entrance into Broadway-City Hall Station. Both concepts place this additional entrance near the southeast corner of the intersection of Cambie Street and West 10th Avenue, adjacent to a large plaza area.

Here is a visual breakdown of the three different highly preliminary design concepts for the Civic District:

Concept A

A large, lively central plaza with a mix of commercial and civic services on three sides. As well, shops below the plaza open onto Cambie Street.

This concept does not offer an additional street-level entrance into Broadway-City Hall Station.

vancouver city hall redevelopment civic district concept a

Concept A: Preliminary concept of the Civic District campus redevelopment of Vancouver City Hall. Click on the image for an enlarged version. (City of Vancouver)

Existing condition of the Vancouver City Hall campus. (City of Vancouver)

Concept A: Preliminary concept of the Civic District campus redevelopment of Vancouver City Hall. (City of Vancouver)

Concept B

A large, active plaza called the lower terrace is situated next to the 10th Avenue Greenway. A middle terrace is also located at the current area of landscaped space north of the heritage City Hall building, which would allow for some of the existing trees to be retained.

This concept provides an additional street-level entrance into Broadway-City Hall Station.

vancouver city hall redevelopment civic district concept b

Concept B: Preliminary concept of the Civic District campus redevelopment of Vancouver City Hall. Click on the image for an enlarged version. (City of Vancouver)

Concept B: Preliminary concept of the Civic District campus redevelopment of Vancouver City Hall. (City of Vancouver)

Concept C

A large lower plaza is placed at the level of the 10th Avenue Greenway. An upper terrace is also positioned on the level of the current landscaped space — on the rooftop of an expanded City Hall, which would have a new front door on the plaza.

This concept also incorporates an additional street-level entrance into Broadway-City Hall Station.

vancouver city hall redevelopment civic district concept c

Concept C: Preliminary concept of the Civic District campus redevelopment of Vancouver City Hall. Click on the image for an enlarged version. (City of Vancouver)

Concept C: Preliminary concept of the Civic District campus redevelopment of Vancouver City Hall. (City of Vancouver)

These various concepts not only serve the direct needs of the municipal government but also create a new central hub of activity for the major densification of the area under the City’s Broadway Plan.

The area plan prescribes intensifying new office, institutional, hotel, retail, restaurant, and other commercial uses in the general vicinity surrounding the Vancouver General Hospital and Vancouver City Hall campuses, which creates the “Uptown” district — a secondary downtown core area and business district for Vancouver.

Furthermore, it optimizes Broadway-City Hall’s evolution into a regional transit hub served by two SkyTrain lines and the brand-new Oak-VGH Station.

An online survey on the three preliminary design concepts for Civic District is open through July 14, 2024. Input received will be used to create some amendments to the Broadway Plan, which will be presented to Vancouver City Council in November 2024. This will include identifying a preferred design concept for the new City Hall campus.

The City intends to begin the rezoning process in 2025 for the north block fronting West Broadway, where the subway station entrance is located. No potential timeline has been established for construction and completion.

Vancouver’s neighbour of Burnaby is also currently contemplating building a brand new expanded City Hall on the current footprint just north of Deer Lake.

broadway city hall station millennium line skytrain

Artistic rendering of the expansion of the existing SkyTrain Broadway-City Hall Station street entrance for the Canada Line to accommodate the new interchange with the Millennium Line, opening in 2027. (Government of BC)

Diagram showing the SkyTrain interchange hub between the Millennium Line and Canada Line at Broadway-City Hall Station. (Government of BC)

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