Concord Pacific says the advancement of a massive 5,000-home, 12-tower Northeast False Creek development is made possible by Vancouver council’s changes last year to view-protection policies.
A major Vancouver developer says a recent “alignment of the stars” means it will advance a new plan for what is likely the city’s largest single undeveloped waterfront property.
On Tuesday, Concord Pacific shared preliminary details with Postmedia News of its proposal to bring 5,000 homes in 12 towers — including some of the city’s tallest skyscrapers — as well as dozens of restaurants, shops, and services to the northeast shore of False Creek.
This part of the former Expo lands, between the Plaza of Nations and Science World, has sat largely empty for decades, except for temporary uses including events such as Cirque du Soleil.
Now, property owner Concord Pacific says it is ready to take the next step to develop the area and plans to submit a formal rezoning inquiry to the city in the coming months.
“It’s time,” Peter Webb, Concord Pacific’s senior vice-president of development, said in an interview Tuesday. “There is a sort of an alignment of the stars here at this moment that may cause activation of the actual development.”
That alignment includes two key pieces, Webb said: viaducts and views.
This project will depend on the long-planned but delayed demolition and removal of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts, which run along the north side of Concord’s property.
A previous Vancouver council, under then-mayor Gregor Robertson and his Vision majority, voted in 2015 to remove the viaducts to free up land for housing and park space. At that time, it was reported that the viaducts’ removal could begin by 2017 and finish by 2020. But progress stalled, and after those dates passed, the city said it was not possible to provide a timeline for the viaducts’ removal, because the project needed to be funded by contributions from developers in the area.
Webb said Tuesday that Concord’s recent conversations with Vancouver’s planning department have made it “pretty clear” the city is still motivated to take the viaducts down, he said.
Council’s decision last July to amend the view protection policies — which were first established in 1989 to protect the public vistas considered a crucial part of Vancouver’s identity — was met with some public criticism. But Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC caucus said the move could play an important role in enabling the development of more housing.
At Concord’s Northeast False Creek property alone, Webb said, the view policy changes will increase the number of homes from around 3,500 to more than 5,000 units.
At this stage, the developer’s vision for what it calls “Concord Landing” includes 12 towers. The lower buildings closer to the waterfront would be around 20 storeys, with taller buildings of around 50 storeys just to the north. The tallest buildings would be the “landmark towers” flanking Georgia Street, which Webb said could “go to 60 to 65-plus storeys, whatever is appropriate.”
Those buildings would be taller than Vancouver’s current tallest skyscraper, the 62-storey Shangri-La tower on Georgia Street.
The tall, high-density residential towers would sit atop what Concord describes as “a vibrant, walkable village that serves both residents and visitors,” with roughly a dozen restaurants along the waterfront, and more than 50 retail units.
Concord plans to submit a rezoning inquiry to city hall within the next few months, Webb said, after which the company will work with city staff on a plan with the hope to submit a formal rezoning application by the end of this year.
In an emailed statement, Concord CEO Terry Hui said: “We are excited to bring the knowledge this team has gained over the years, along with their best ideas, to the development of the Concord Landing community.”