Vancouver council votes 7-3 to approve Holborn’s multi-block development

Vancouver council votes 7-3 to approve Holborn’s multi-block development

Supertall tower approved

Mayor Ken Sim and his six ABC Vancouver colleagues voted Monday to approve a rezoning application for the Holborn Group’s multi-block development downtown tied to a separate social housing project planned in the Downtown Eastside.

The massive development on Georgia Street includes 1,546 new homes, a 920-room hotel, more than 70,000 square feet of conference space and a large public plaza. A 272-unit social housing tower will be built at 388 Abbott St.

“This proposal represents a major investment in Vancouver at a time when we need confidence in our city's future,” said ABC Coun. Mike Klassen in his closing comments at city hall.

“It will create homes, employment, public amenities and a stronger downtown for generations to come. And for all those reasons, and probably many more, I'll be pleased to support this application.”

Federal aviation requirements

The Georgia Street site encompasses 36 parcels and is bounded by Georgia, Seymour, Dunsmuir and Richards streets. The only property on the two blocks excluded from the proposal is an English language school at Dunsmuir and Seymour streets, which is not owned by Holborn.

The ABC Vancouver contingent of council supported the application despite receiving an email from Nav Canada, which raised concerns over the height of the hotel tower at 1,034 feet.

At that height, the hotel tower would be the tallest building in Western Canada.

Council heard from staff during the public hearing that compliance with federal aviation requirements may necessitate a reduction of approximately 88 feet in the height of the hotel tower.

That decrease in height would still make the hotel tower the tallest in Vancouver. The 62-storey Living Shangri-la is Vancouver’s current tallest building at 659 feet.

It wasn’t clear Monday whether reducing the hotel tower by 88 feet would still make it the tallest building in Western Canada.

'Maintain safe operations'

Nav Canada spokesperson Gabriel Bourget said in an email Monday that airspace above and around downtown Vancouver supports a range of operations, including floatplane and helicopter traffic as well as arrivals and departures serving the region's airports.

As the provider of Canada's civil air navigation services, Bourget said the agency reviews proposed developments near airports and within navigable airspace to assess their potential impact on “the safety and efficiency of aircraft operations, including published flight procedures serving the area.”

“Where an assessment identifies a potential impact, we advise the proponent and work with them, alongside Transport Canada and airport authorities where appropriate, to identify options that maintain safe operations,” she said.

“It is not unusual for tall building proposals to be adjusted through this process. We will continue to engage with the proponent as the project's design develops.”

'Penthouses in the sky'

Prior to council’s vote, Joo Kim Tiah, president of Holborn Group, provided closing comments on the company’s proposal, addressing concerns from Nav Canada and some of the speakers during the hearing over the hotel tower’s height.

Tiah pointed out the tower will have an observation deck open to the public.

“We made the decision from the start that the tallest tower would have to be a publicly accessible commercial tower, [with] an observation deck and not a private residence with penthouses in the sky,” he told council.

“We wanted locals to be able to enjoy the best views of the city and, at the same time, showcase the best that our city has to offer to tourists and friends from out of town.”

'Cart before the horse'

COPE Coun. Sean Orr attempted unsuccessfully to move an alternative motion that would have seen Holborn’s application referred back to staff until the city’s Higher Buildings Policy review is completed in 2027.

“It's a stunning project,” Orr said. “But I think we're putting the cart before the horse in terms of approving this before the tall buildings review.”

OneCity Coun. Lucy Maloney, who supported Orr’s motion, was equally complementary in her assessment of the project, saying it “looks beautiful” and that she admired the thought that went into the design by Henriquez Partners Architects.

Maloney cited the benefits of more market housing, hotel rooms and social housing but voted against the project based on what she described as Holborn’s “social licence to operate.”

She was referring to the Little Mountain project and the delays by Holborn to replace the demolished social housing on the site. Maloney also mentioned the demolition in January 2025 of the Holborn-owned 1908-era Dunsmuir Street building.

“There has been an extremely long gap between the destruction of social housing at Little Mountain and the construction of new social housing,” she said. “The loss of the Dunsmuir Hotel was enraging to a lot of people for heritage reasons, as well as its potential for remaining as sheltered housing during the period of the proponent's ownership.”

News conference postponed

The City of Vancouver’s communications department sent out a media advisory July 23 to “celebrate the completion of a new city-owned building” at Little Mountain. The news conference was scheduled for July 24 and to feature Tiah and Sim.

The event was later postponed, but no reasons were given or new date provided.

Tiah used his time at the microphone Monday at city hall to respond to concerns raised by Maloney and speakers to council regarding the Little Mountain development.

“The majority of social housing there has been completed ahead of any market housing,” he said. “In fact, building three of five recently completed—the city's building—with daycare for 89 children, a neighbourhood house and a public plaza with public art. The remaining two buildings will be delivered this fall.”

On the downtown development, ABC Coun. Peter Meiszner pointed out other municipalities in Metro Vancouver are allowing taller buildings. He mentioned Burnaby, Surrey and Burquitlam.

“It's never made sense to me that the tallest buildings in the Lower Mainland right now are not in downtown Vancouver,” Meiszner said. “I think downtown Vancouver is the place for exceptional height like this. And with exceptional height, we need exceptional design.”

Meiszner added: “I think this is a really thoughtful and ambitious project and I think our city is ready for it.”

More than 300 speakers

More than 300 people registered to speak to council during the public hearing. The city also received more than 270 pieces of correspondence, according to the city’s public hearing agenda.

Supporters included Xiaoyong Zhang, who wrote:

“I live across the street and fully support this fabulous project and the revitalization of our downtown core. Vancouver is consistently named as one of the most desirable places to live, and we need to make room for newcomers and tourists. This project provides both hotel rooms for visitors, homes for residents, and so much more—a rooftop tourist attraction, social housing and daycare. All of this adds economic activity and tourism dollars to our city.”

Many opposed believed Holborn should incorporate the 273 social housing units—it was initially 378 when the project was announced in 2025—into the Georgia Street site, noting Gastown and the Downtown Eastside already have their share of social and supportive housing.

Ala Wroblewska, a 16-year Gastown resident, wrote:

“A more balanced approach would distribute social and supportive housing across all neighbourhoods in Vancouver, allowing residents to remain connected to diverse communities, employment opportunities, parks, schools, healthcare and local services while ensuring that every neighbourhood contributes to addressing the housing crisis. Concentrating vulnerable populations in one area risks reinforcing cycles of marginalization rather than fostering true inclusion.”

Green Party Coun. Pete Fry joined