This article was originally published by Carol Volkart on Dunbar News on January 18, 2026, under the title of “Multiplexes Raise Concerns Well Beyond Dunbar” (linked here) reprinted here with permission.
Worthy of special attention are the growing voices across Metro Vancouver and the province calling for a repeal of legislation including Bills 44 and 47 (2023), which were adopted in a lightning-fast session in a matter of weeks in November 2023, by the BC NDP, with debate in legislature improperly curtailed, the shroud of secrecy imposed by non-disclosure agreements, and an intensive multi-year lobbying campaign by the real estate development industry and closely-aligned activists. The current Vancouver City Council is an outlier in this, entirely submissive to the provincial dictates and even going beyond what’s required.
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By Carol Volkart
Dunbar residents concerned about the multiplexes being built in our neighbourhood might be interested to know they’re not alone.
Metro mayors, residents of other communities, neighbourhood groups and a group of experienced planners, architects and academics are raising concerns not just about the size and shape of the new buildings, but about the new housing legislation that opened the doors to them.
While the province said the November 2023 legislation was essential to get more homes built faster in a housing crisis, critics say it’s a top-down, undemocratic approach that transfers zoning powers to the province and dismisses local planning, expertise and input.
Of top concern are Bill 44, which requires all municipalities of more than 5,000 people to allow at least four units of housing on every lot, and Bill 47, which imposes new density requirements around transit hubs.
“This one-size-fits-all approach hands control to bureaucrats in Victoria who have never walked our streets, don’t understand our neighbourhoods, and takes decision-making away from the people who were elected to represent them, their local councils,” said Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, one of 16 Metro mayors who signed a November 2025 letter to the province asking it to repeal the bills responsible.
While some municipalities initially tried to defy the legislation, the province forced them to comply. By contrast, Vancouver city council strongly supported the new bills, and in some cases went further than they required.
For years, longtime public transportation advocate Nathan Davidowicz has been providing an immense public service, entirely voluntarily, by compiling and circulating the Weekly Alternative Buzzer (WAB). The WAB is a mix of everything – a transit newsletter, an events board, a service bulletin, fun stories, interesting factoids, a treasure trove of links, and more!
If the topics interest you, please write Nathan directly ([email protected]) to sign up for free e-mail delivery. You can also find his content on these platforms:
This week Nathan draws attention to these six items:
Jan. 19, 2026 630 pm Saanich Council will discuss transit issues. Email [email protected], register to speak remotely, or attend in person. Every voice matters
On these days the Oakridge-41st Station will be closed at 11 pm. January 2026: 26,27,28,29. February 2026; 1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10,11,12,15,17,18,19,22,23,24,25,26. https://www.translink.ca/oakridgeThe Elevator at Canada Line Oakridge-41st Avenue Station from street level to concourse will be temporarily out of service from Mon Jan 26 through Thu Apr 30 due to upgrades to the station’s roof.
The Bowmac sign on West Broadway. A Development Application has been submitted to convert the former Toys-R-Us location to a FreshCo grocery store.Parking lot at 450 West Georgia and Richards Street. A Development Application has been submitted for a 2-storey grocery or drug store, with 1.5 levels of underground parking for 30 vehicles. An office tower was previously approved for this site at a Public Hearing in June of 2021.
Two proposals for new grocery stores have been submitted to the City of Vancouver. These sites are at 1154 West Broadway and 450 West Georgia. We’ll take a look at the two sites separately.
1154 West Broadway
A Development Permit to convert the retail building at 1154 West Broadway to a FreshCo grocery store is under consideration. A DP information sign has been posted on the site and a public comment period is open until January 20, 2026. The grocery store would have an area of 32,000 sq. ft, with parking on the roof. It would be open 7 days a week from 8am to 10pm. The existing Bowmac sign would be preserved and the current Toys-R-Us signage in front of the Bowmac sign would be changed to FreshCo signage.
Given the size of this lot (with a 250 ft. frontage), it could have been expected to have been a prime site under the Broadway Plan for one or two towers and a large podium. A Broadway Plan rezoning might still occur at a later time; however, for now a grocery store might be filling a need in Fairview as there are currently a limited number of large grocery stores in the area.
450 West Georgia Street
The Development Permit Application at 450 West Georgia Street proposes a completely new 2-storey building on the site for a grocery or drug store. An store with an area of 43,867 sq. ft. is proposed and 30 parking spaces would be included on 1.5 underground storeys. The comment period for this proposal is open until January 19, 2026. This site may be filling a need for additional grocery or drug stores in the downtown (there are of course a number of nearby grocery stores as well as the CostCo Wholesale).
There is already an approved office tower rezoning on this site. Is the commercial office situation in the City of Vancouver in a downturn, with high vacancy rates? The developer, Austeville Properties, has considerable land holdings and commercial office space in Vancouver (for example, around West Broadway and Fir St), plus residential rental (such as 1618 W 6th Ave). The construction of a brand new two-storey building for retail uses at 450 West Georgia Street might indicate concerns regarding additional office space capacity in the downtown.
Illustration from staff referral report, Public Hearing was in June 2021 for 450 West Georgia (tower in centre of the rendering). The site has remained an undeveloped parking lot since that time. The office building was approved with a FSR of 15.3 and a height of 87.2m Continue reading →
Existing rental building at 1125 West 10th Avenue and rezoning sign
A Public Hearing to review a 21-storey tower rezoning at 1125 West 10 Avenue (north side of street, East of Spruce St. in Vancouver’s Fairview neighbourhood) has been scheduled for Thursday, January 22 at 6pm.
Fairview, Mount Pleasant, and Kitsilano are being hammered with high-density towers under the Broadway Plan that went into effect in September 2022. The City is not providing the public a comprehensive view of what’s going on, but we are. See our portal page for a rendering of the potential future full build-out of the plan.
The staff-written description on the ShapeYourCity page about this rezoning application omits the simple fact that this rezoning is grossly non-compliant with the Broadway Plan. During the staff presentation to Council at the Public Hearing will they make this point explicitly clear?
The requested 21-storey tower would include 162 rental units with 20% of the rental unit area offered at 20% below market rates (however, there are bait-and-switch tricks to watch out for, as there’s a risk the City might in the future quietly eliminate the BMR requirement and permit the building to charge average market rents). An eye-popping Floor Space Ratio of 9.1 is requested on this site, well in excess of the 6.80 FSR that might be granted for sites with commercial units(6.5 FSR + 0.3 FSR bonus for commercial). An overall building height of 69.0m or 226 ft. is proposed, with a rooftop amenity space, and commercial space at grade. A total of 65 vehicle parking spaces are proposed (the small site makes underground parking space utilization inefficient). This rezoning shares many similarities with 1110 West 10th Avenue (a rezoning application across the street that is also on a mature rental building site), except, unlike that rezoning, this is on a mid-block site and not on a corner.
The staff referral report is dated on October 21, 2025 and it was referred to Public Hearing on November 4, 2025. In the referral report, staff claim that the proposed tower would contain 162 rental units with 20% of the units offered below market rates. The promise of below market rentals was one carrot used to justify the entire Broadway Plan.
However, a month after the referral of this rezoning application to Public Hearing, on December 10, 2025, City Council passed a developer bailout program (see “Too Big To Fail” by Robert Renger and “Developer Relief Program“), so there is a risk (at least for the public interest) that the 20% rent discount promised as part of this rezoning could quietly be changed to average market rental at a future date. This risk merits a high level of public scrutiny and should be forced out in the open, on record, at the Public Hearing. Watch to see which members of City Council, if any, will fight to ensure that these BMR units remain set in stone through the Public Hearing, and cannot be quietly removed in the future?
A Yellow Memo from chief planner Josh White (dated January 7th, but just posted recently) has removed the requirement for Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and reduced the cash-in-lieu Public Art Contribution discount from 80% to 60%.
The owner of the project is listed as A.M.R. Investments Ltd. (see ownership info at bottom) while the designers are Ciccozzi Architecture and Durante Kreuk Ltd. Landscape Architects. The applicant is Sightline Properties. Council previously approved another Sightline Properties rezoning at 1726 West 11th Avenue (a two tower proposal), which was also on the site of a mature rental building. Their business model seems to be predatory, targeting mature rentals.
Sightline Properties was in the news in August of 2024 when one of their other projects at 3477 West 41st Avenue burned down in a large fire that saw the collapse of a construction crane:
A Sightline Properties project was the site of major fire at 3477 West 41st Avenue (a six-storey building was under construction) in August of 2024. The collapsed crane blocked West 41 Ave for weeks.
1125 West 10th Avenue is located mid-block along a stretch of the 10th Avenue bike route that only has parking on one side of the street.
A total of 65 parking stalls are proposed for residents and visitors. How will this impact on-street parking on the 10th Avenue bike route and the surroundings streets?
The 10-storey tower at 2501 Spruce Street with 37 units has 54 parking spaces with 42 parking spaces for residents is nearby (it was under construction until the developer went into receivership, the site is also known as 2511 Spruce Street or 1110 W Broadway). This tower is pictured below on the left side of the photo, on the opposite side of the laneway from 1125 W10th Avenue.
Laneway side of the proposal (1125 West 10th Avenue on the right side, 2511 Spruce St / 1110 W Broadway tower on the left; this was construction until the developer went into receivership)The description about the rezoning application on ShapeYourCity site screenshot (above) omits the simple fact that this rezoning is grossly non-compliant with the Broadway Plan. For proposals with retail at grade, a maximum Floor Space Ratio of 6.80 would be expected and not a FSR of 9.1. Furthermore, equitable tower separation (for possible future towers) is not provided (from western property line a mere 5.05m / 16′-7″ is proposed, while 24.3m / 40 ft. would be expected).
The mid-block site has a frontage of 100 ft. It’s worth noting that the original draft Broadway Plan once had a minimum frontage of 150 ft. for a tower site; however, this requirement was changed in the last minute to a minimum 99 ft. frontage via an amendment.
Renters in the existing buildings like 1125 West 10th Avenue may be concerned about their future and are encouraged to read up, network and organize their buildings. The existing rental building at 1125 West 10th Avenue has 25 units and all 25 tenancies would qualify under the City’s TRPP (a policy that has many shortcoming; it covers the terms of a tenant’s displacement and possible return to a unit that might be significantly smaller than their current accommodation, the possible loss of a parking space, etc.). The Vancouver Tenants Union website (https://www.vancouvertenantsunion.ca/) provides resources regarding tenant rights, including tips on dealing with relocation and demoviction under the Broadway Plan.
Proposal at 1125 West 10th Avenue in context (tower to the right), shown with nearby Broadway Plan rezoning applications (CityHallWatch massing model). 10am on the Spring Equinox (March 20, 2026)
An online Q&A event was held from May 21 to June 3, 2025. No in-person Open House was held despite the fact the application far exceeds the maximum density permitted under the Broadway Plan.
Proposal at 1125 West 10th Avenue in context (tower around the centre), shown with nearby Broadway Plan rezoning applications and 2511 Spruce Street (CityHallWatch massing model). Shadows shown for 10am on the Spring Equinox (March 20, 2026), note the impact on the north side of Broadway.Continue reading →
The City of Vancouver is holding a virtual Open House and Q&A in order to receive feedback about tower rezoning proposals at 1368-1398 West Broadway (at Hemlock) and 1795 West Broadway (at Burrard St). The Q&A will be open between January 14 and 27, 2026 separately for each of the sites. The two proposals are being brought forward by Concord Pacific. The rezonings are linked together as the proposed Community Amenity Contributions (CACs) for the two sites would be handled on one site in the form of a seniors centre at 1368-1398 W Broadway.
The proposal at 1368-1398 West Broadway is for a 35-storey tower. A total of 172 strata units are proposed, along with 257 hotel rooms in a mixed-use building. Parking spaces for residential uses (160) and hotel uses (93) would be located on 5 levels of underground parking.
A seniors centre would be included on level 3; an overall Floor Space Ratio of 12.51 is proposed. The Broadway Plan currently allows up to 30-storeys and 10.0 FSR at this site. The proposed tower floorplates exceed the recommend maximum 6,500 sq. ft. in the Broadway Plan (for example, floorplates of 7,137 sq. ft. are proposed for levels 16-29).
The applicant is requesting additional height (to 123.1m/404 ft.) and density (12.51 FSR) in return for the senior centre level and for a small POP (privately owned public space) at the northwest corner of the site near the Hemlock/Broadway intersection. Further details are in the application booklet. Planning staff may have posted a PDF of this booklet that contains drawings which are difficult to read:
Enlarged part of an elevation drawing posted on ShapeYourCity. Are the dimensions legible?
A 30-storey strata tower is proposed at 1795 W Broadway. While the Broadway Plan only allows for a 20-storey strata tower here, the proponent would be delivering a CAC in the form of the seniors centre with 1368-1398 West Broadway. A total of 239 strata units would be included and the tower would have a height of 101.8m/334 ft. and a Floor Space Ratio of 13.1. Parking spaces for 147 vehicles would be provided in 7 levels of underground parking. The floorplates for this tower also exceed the recommended 6,500 sq. ft. maximum in the Broadway Plan (for example, at 7,599 sq. ft. for levels 7-12). W.T. Leung Architects are the designers for both of the rezoning applications.
It’s been a while since Concord Pacific has developed a project in or around the Broadway Plan area (previous projects are the Uptown at 2788 Prince Edward Street / East 12th Avenue and Avenue One at 1768 Cook St and West 2nd Avenue in Olympic Village).
We’ve included several photos of the two sites and the surrounding context below:
Esso gas station and car wash at 1795 West Broadway and Burrard Street.Above: Massing model of 1795 West Broadway as seen from street level (CityHallWatch model). The site is the current Esso gas station at the corner of Burrard Street.Google Earth context with massing model of 1795 W Broadway (CityHallWatch model and rendering). Compare the scale of proposed tower with the immediate surroundings.Continue reading →
The proposed 18-storey tower would have total building height of 61m (200 ft.) and a floor space ratio of 5.5. A total of 67 parking spaces are proposed in 3 underground levels. Please see our previous post for additional details about the form of development.
The staff referral report is dated on September 23, 2025 and it was referred to Public Hearing on November 4, 2025. In the referral report, staff claim that the proposed tower would contain 133 rental units with 20% of the units offered below market rates. The promise of below market rentals was one carrot used to justify the entire Broadway Plan.
However, a month after the referral of this rezoning application to Public Hearing, on December 10, 2025, City Council passed a developer bailout program (see “Too Big To Fail” by Robert Renger and “Developer Relief Program“), so there is a risk (at least for the public interest) that the 20% rent discount promised as part of this rezoning could quietly be changed to average market rental at a future date. This risk merits a high level of public scrutiny and should be forced out in the open, on record, at the Public Hearing. Is the referral report out of date? Other items that could also be affected are the calculations for Public Art Contributions, DCL rates and waivers, and requirement for Transportation Demand Management (TDM).
As of this writing (Jan 13), no updates (“yellow memos”) have been posted on the Public Hearing agenda page. The public should watch this carefully as it will reveal the workings and biases of City Hall and developers.
The staff referral report notes there are seven units of secondary rental housing, with four of these tenancies eligible under the Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy (TRPP, which governs tenant compensation / relocation, etc.).
Above: To visualize what’s being proposed see this massing model (by CityHallWatch) inserted into a Google Earth context. A previous post contains additional renderings. Would any of the existing street trees need to be clipped as a result of the canopy extending over the property?Above: Yukon Street and W 16th Avenue looking north (with our 3D massing model inserted into the photo)
The original zoning for this site and surroundings was RT-6 (multiple dwelling, 0.75 FSR, 3-storeys / 10.7m). That was, until it was changed to R3-2 through extensive “prezoning” (see “Broadway Plan and Cambie Corridor massive area-wide rezoning” Oct 7, 2025 and “Summary for Citizens“). A number of similarities are evident in the general context of this rezoning compared to other tower rezoning applications (e.g., 2156-2172 W14th Avenue , 121-129 W 11th Avenue and 469-483 E 10th Avenue) in that the applicant is Stuart Howard Architects Inc. and interconnected owners. See ownership details near the end of this post. Connecting the dots reveals who is exploiting (and/or benefiting from) the Broadway Plan policies adopted by our elected officials.
The rezoning represents a big jump in density and height from the current zoning. Also worth of note is that this proposal is a dramatic departure from the low-rise context on a leafy, quiet, residential side street.
Under the previously-approved (supposedly “30-year”) Mount Pleasant Community Plan (passed in 2010, implementation plan passed in October 2013), the zoning for this area would not have changed. However, in 2022, under mayor Kennedy Stewart the Council majority revoked the Mount Pleasant Community Plan and imposed the Broadway Plan – a top-down document written by City staff without meaningful community involvement (no Community Liaison Group, Citizens’ Assembly, Working Group, etc.), but with the influence of real estate consultants (see FOI) and development industry lobbyists.
North and east elevations for 426-428 W 14th Avenue rezoningAbove: Location of rezoning site at 426 West 14th Avenue and Yukon St. Note the canopy cover from the street trees that extends onto the fronting properties (would existing street trees be clipped and/or removed?).Yukon and W 15th Avenue looking north (wide angle photo)Yukon and W 15th Avenue looking north (transparent massing model inserted into wide angle photo)Photo from Yukon and 15th Ave (50mm camera lens), taken from same location as wide-angle photo used in renderings
The City of Vancouver held an online Q&A session regarding an 18-storey tower proposed at 426 West 14th Avenue. between October 2 and 15, 2024. There were a number of questions raised in the Q&A, including the following one:
Here’s the staff response to a request for additional shadow studies in the Q&A. As staff declined to provide the requested shadow studies, we have done so in this post.
Additional shadow studies are included further below. Since staff and the applicant did not provide correct shadows studies with the rezoning application for the duration of the Q&A Public Consultation, we generated the shadow studies for the Spring Equinox (the revised shadow studies were published after the Q&A was completed, but still omitted the Winter Solstice shadow studies). We’ve also included additional renderings of our simplified tower massing model in this post.
Above: BC residential housing starts, under construction, and completions. Credit B.C. Real Estate Association (updated to 6-Jan-2026). For more graphs see the BCREA housing monitor dashboard.
This article by Patrick Condon appeared in The Tyee on January 12, 2026. Excerpts below. Please visit this link for the full text. https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026/01/12/Vancouver-Real-Estate-Drop-Chance-Reset/. University of British Columbia professor emeritus Patrick M. Condon is the author of Broken City and other books.
In this article Condon says the long-predicted correction in Vancouver’s real estate market has arrived. “After decades of speculation-driven escalation — fuelled by global capital, low interest rates and steeply rising land values enriching private owners — the market is undergoing a real reset.” Yet the crisis could also serve as catalyst, he writes. Drawing from principles of land economics, sustainable design and equitable urbanism, he proposes seven rules to help us navigate this downturn and emerge with a more just, resilient and equitable Vancouver. His concluding comment: “This correction hurts, but it also clarifies. Housing must serve people, not just capital. By following these rules, Vancouver can emerge not just recovered, but transformed — more equitable, sustainable and truly livable.“
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Vancouver’s Real Estate Drop: A Chance to Reset Affordability Policies The crisis could serve as catalyst if we make these seven pivots.
Invest in sectors that generate genuine productivity rather than relying on endless condo towers and foreign capital inflows.
Redirect public funds from developer incentives toward a largely local and B.C.-focused “foundational economy” that is less dependent on nation-hopping capital and committed to sustaining locally rooted businesses.
Invest in transit and transport infrastructure that supports diverse and geographically distributed employment rather than a few city centres that attract fickle global wealth.
Rule 2: Support families with non-market housing.
Use this correction to scale non-market solutions: expand community land trusts, deepen public housing commitments, and enforce inclusionary zoning with real teeth.
Make affordable rents real, not a mirage, permanently capped at 30 per cent of median income in non-market units, drawing from proven models like Vienna’s or Montreal’s social housing networks.
Fund these startup costs through a robust tax on land value increases consequent to upzoning (the community amenity contributions tax is our local version of that).
Rule 3: Shift from concrete highrises to perimeter blocks.
The Expo ‘86 at 40 Symposium will explore shared goals for this last undeveloped piece of Vancouver’s downtown.
Expo ‘86 at 40 is a half-day symposium that will convene landowners, community leaders, Hogan’s Alley Society, City representatives, academics, and Vancouver residents.
Hear updates from the City of Vancouver about the Northeast False Creek Plan, and identify opportunities for working together to advance the Plan.
“Left empty since Expo ‘86 ended, the Northeast False Creek Plan presents a generational opportunity to reconnect the Downtown core and fulfill reconciliation and redress goals. Hear from landowners, local First Nations, Planning Department staff, Hogan’s Alley Society, representatives from Chinatown, and more, about the opportunities to unlock the potential for this last undeveloped piece of Vancouver’s downtown.”
Construction on 2501 Spruce Street has been stalled for months
The construction site of 10-storey luxury condo tower at the corner of 2501 Spruce Street and West Broadway has been idle for months. This is due to the insolvency of Minglian Holdings Ltd.
There was a little bit of activity on the site recently with the exposed rebar on the top floor being wrapped for protection against the elements (we’d like to credit Stanley Woodvine for bringing it to our attention). It appears that the site will remain dormant for a while.
The condo site was marketed as the Duet, with a website that is still live (https://duetvancouver.com/). GBL Architects are the designers behind this project. This is the former site of Odin Books (see more below on how this project and Broadway Subway construction ).
Until 2022, CityHallWatch published a monthly snapshot of all rezoning and development applications in Vancouver. Unfortunately, the City of Vancouver switched to ShapeYour City and then increasingly embedded roadblocks the website to prevent the collection and compilation of such information.
However, from our archives we can see that this project was covered by development permit DP-2017-00933 and reviewed by the Development Permit Board on 8-Jan-2017. https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/2501-spruce-street.pdf
Nine years ago, as of January 2026.
From the DPB memo: Staff worked closely with the applicant throughout the pre-application process. A complete development permit application was submitted on September 11, 2017. The proposal appeared before the Urban Design Panel on November 15, 2017 and it was unanimously supported with recommendations. This application proposes retail, office and residential uses on two parcels on the southwest corner of West Broadway and Spruce, one block west of Oak. The site is located in the Fairview Slopes Sub-area, in the medical/dental area related to Vancouver General Hospital. Per the C-3A guidelines, Spruce Street is identified as an important pedestrian connection to False Creek, and sidewalks should be developed as major pedestrian ways. Broadway is served by express and local bus service, as well as the Canada Line rail service north and south on Cambie Street.
Since the supply-side economists, the B.C. Provincial government and lobbyist organizations such as the Urban Development Institute have for many years vociferously blamed communities and municipal governments for preventing housing construction, it could be instructive to look at cases like this to see if their narrative holds water. The blame game has resulted in the evisceration of local democratic checks and balances, including the elimination of most public hearings across the province.
We have tangentially documented this particular site in our coverage of “1125 W 10th Ave tower rezoning on a mature rental site. Huge density increase to 9.06 FSR proposed on a narrow 100 ft site. Online Q&A May 21-June 3, 2025.” (link)
Another aspect of this story is that due to the demolition of 2501 Spruce (also cited as 1110 West Broadway) Odin Books was forced to closed that location in late 2018 or early 2019. Odin Books, known for specializing in mental health and inclusive education titles, relocated in early 2019 to 108 East Broadway, where they operated for a few years. But eventually, its bricks and mortar retail store there was forced to close due to the Broadway Subway construction disruptions. There has been devastating damage to local businesses due to the Broadway Subway construction and massive redevelopment in the Broadway Corridor. The Province of B.C. has refused to offer compensation.
It’s worth noting Development Permit Board report of 8-Jan-2017 … Displacement of Small Business: Two respondents [public comments] expressed concerns about the effect of speculative housing projects displacing small businesses for unaffordable housing. Staff Response: Current uses at the site are a small restaurant and several retail-office premises (including an umbrella shop, book store, cannabis dispensary, and 2nd floor health centre, accounting etc.). Unfortunately, the commercial tenants will have to relocate if the new retail commercial space does not meet their or the building owner’s respective needs. Any existing rental housing may be eligible for assistance under the city of Vancouver Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy.
Note that the 2501 Spruce address appears to be now listed as 2511 SPRUCE STD together with 1106 W BROADWAY, 1108 W BROADWAY, 1116 W BROADWAY, and 1118 W BROADWAY.
We’ve included several photos of the construction site below:
Photo from laneway, Feb 12, 2025 (construction site on left, with the first 5 floors of the building)Continue reading →
CityHallWatch: Tools to engage in Vancouver city decisions 
