Whatcha plannin’ Vancouver? — January 2021

An informal review of the new developments hitting the city — January 2021 Edition

Hello hello hello Vancouveeeeer! A new year has started and the development and architecture community has started the year very strong! Architects and developers have been busy touching up the project they could not submit to the city at the end of 2020 and the first days of 2021 have seen already a substantial number new project hitting the submission button to the city.

Number of Developments

During the month of January the city have received a total of 16 applications for rezoning, some of them containing more than one building, in total it will account for 16 new buildings.

Density and type of buildings

The total amount of proposed density is around 3,254,101 square feet. Approximately 93.23% of it will be for residential uses, a 3.35% will be for commercial uses, which also include office, and a 1.92% will be allocated to daycares and other community services.

Residential Units

There will be a total of 3,243 units in the market with 8.6% of them for social housing and a 5.6% for affordable rental. The most important thing to note though, is that continuing with the trend that we saw at the end of 2020, there will be more units destined to rental, with a total of 1,531 units, compared to 1,253 units for strata units. If this trend continues to show during the year it should help renters in the long run to find more affordable places thanks to competition.

Cars vs Bikes

In terms of mobility, with the rental market on the rise, we see how developers are reducing the number of car parking spots they will offer since statistically renters then to be less car dependent. However continuing with the city interest in promoting sustainable and healthy transportation the number of bike parking stalls will more than double the number of car stalls.

The sector statistics

In this month of January Bosa properties is the developer who has submitted the highest number of applications with 2 developments. The most active practice is Yamato architects with two buildings. The highest development will be 1040–1080 Barclay in the West end with a height of 48 stories and 458 ft. This development also tops the chart of the most social building with a total of 162 affordable housing units.

Best Design

We are seeing some iconic project in the pipeline. After reviewing them in our very own opinion the best high rise of the month is 1728 Alberni Street designed by Heatherwick Studio from London and the local architect IBI Group.

This building consist in two towers with a 4 storey podium inspired by the shape of a tree and its organic forms. Departing from the typical aesthetic of a glass tower, this development features prominent balconies for the residents enjoyment.

In the category of mid-rise this sleek 6 storey building is packed with lots of good mixed used, commercial, daycare, office and residential, all harmonized nicely in a consistent facade with organic lines.

Did you know that the city of Vancouver has a new portal where you can review the new projects being submitted and send your feedback with the click of a button?

You can access them at shapeyourcity

Please leave your comments below and submit to our newsletter to not miss any article!

Thanks for reading, peace!