Vancouver council approves controversial Commercial Drive rental tower project [Video]

Vancouver city council has voted to approve the rezoning of a site near the Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station, which is set to add more than 1,000 housing units across three towers.

Westbank Projects Corp. and Crombie REIT, on behalf of Snowcat Property Holdings, brought forward the proposal in 2023 to redevelop the site at 1780 East Broadway, which presently houses a Safeway supermarket and a car park.

There have been proposals to redevelop the site as far back as 2019, and now that rezoning has been approved, the controversial rental towers will proceed as planned.

They range in height from 36 to 43 storeys in an area that consists mostly of single-family homes, duplexes, low-rise apartments and retail buildings.

WATCH | Long public hearing for redevelopment: A decision on one of Vancouver’s most valuable pieces of real estate is finally happening. The Safeway next to the Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station has been the site of speculation for years. CBC’s Justin McElroy breaks down why a conceptual …