It’s taken some time, but Vancouver City Council has just approved the rezoning application for the 800 Granville redevelopment on February 10.
This block includes some historic landmarks, including the Commodore Ballroom, Commodore Lanes, and the Orpheum Theatre. The pre-zone application to rezone the area was completed in early 2021, and eventually progressed to the official application process in late 2021. Since then, the project has evolved and its revised proposal has been approved by the Council.
Granville Redevelopment Project Details
According to the City of Vancouver, the proposal included:
- A building height of 137.5 m (451 ft.) (north tower) and 120.4 m (395 ft.) (south tower);
- A total floor space ratio (FSR) of 14.5;
- A floor area of 64,641 sq. m (695,789 sq. ft.) which includes:
- Retention of the Commodore Ballroom and Lanes;
- Façade retention of the four heritage buildings;
- Commercial uses on levels one to five;
- Hotel use on levels six to eight in the north building;
- Approximately 15,000 sq. ft. floor area for below-market rental units; and
- 523 market rental residential units contained within both towers.
As for the heritage properties on the site, “the application proposes primarily façade-only retention for four heritage properties on site, along with the complete retention of the Commodore Ballroom.”
The developer, Bonnis Properties, said in 2021 that “we recognize what an institution the Commodore is, and the building needs to be protected inside and out. We don’t plan to alter the original design of the Commodore, so we came up with an idea to build on either side of it and bridge over it.”
This redevelopment has been a long time in the making, a sentiment that ABC city councillor Peter Meiszner echoes. Other city councillors like Lisa Dominato and and Sarah Kirby-Yung expressed their excitement for the project, with Dominato saying that it is a “labour of love.”
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