A 35-storey mixed-use residential tower is being considered for 1290 Hornby St. at Drake.
A rezoning application has been filed for the project, which would feature 159 market residential units as well as 10,000 square feet of cultural amenity space on the main and second levels to be owned by the City of Vancouver.
The tower would replace an existing low-rise building that currently houses Vancouver Coastal Health’s City Centre Urgent Primary Care Centre on the ground floor. The Seymour Health Centre is on the second and third floors.
"We are aware of the rezoning application for 1290 Hornby Street and understand this process can take several years. The City Centre Urgent Primary Care Centre is open for business and will continue to provide health care services to residents during that time. We have a lease in place at the current location until at least 2021 and are committed to having UPPC in Downtown Vancouver beyond that," Matt Kieltyka, a spokesperson for VCH, wrote in an email to the Courier.
On Feb. 15, Vancouver-West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert noted how important the centre is to the community.
Toured our new Urgent Care centre just off Davie st. on Hornby recently. No lineups, great improvement to local care. pic.twitter.com/JKueh3jQgm
— S Chandra Herbert (@SChandraHerbert) February 15, 2019
The rezoning application is being considered under the Downtown Potential Benefit Capacity Policy, which grants additional density to site-specific rezonings downtown in exchange for public benefits such as childcare, park space, social, cultural or recreational facilities, heritage preservation, public art or affordable housing.
Any additional density granted under the policy is subject to current downtown view corridor height limits.
According to the City of Vancouver, specific requirements and programming for the cultural amenity space proposed for the building haven’t been determined yet. The project is under review and is subject to council approval.
If it’s approved, the cultural amenity space would be turned over to the city when the building is completed. Possible uses may include artist production studios, rehearsal space, gallery space, and associated offices for cultural groups.
There is an open house 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Executive Hotel Vintage Park in the Portofino room at 1379 Howe St., March 14.
