The City of Vancouver has received a rezoning application for a multi-tower development at 8080 Yukon Street in the Marpole neighborhood. This proposed project aims to introduce a significant amount of social housing to the city.
The 1.9-acre site is located one block from Marine Gateway and the Canada Line’s Marine Drive Station. It is bordered by Yukon Street to the west, a rear lane to the north, another rear lane and single-family homes to the east, and SW Marine Drive to the south. According to BC Assessment, the site is valued at $6,164,000 and is co-owned by the Kiwanis Club of Vancouver and Soroptimist International of Vancouver under the Kiwanis-Soroptimist (1974) Senior Citizens Housing Society.
The proposal outlines plans for three high-rise towers and one low-rise building, collectively providing 847 social housing units. These would be divided into 255 units priced below Housing Income Limits (HILs) as defined by BC Housing and 592 units set at rates above HILs. The development has a proposed floor space ratio of 6.99 and a maximum height of 312 feet. The site is currently zoned CD-1 (Comprehensive Development), and the applicants are seeking a new CD-1 zoning designation.
The redevelopment would include:
- Building One: A six-story structure at the northeast corner, offering 123 seniors’ social housing units—113 studios and 10 one-bedroom apartments—of which 37 would be below-HILs units and 86 above-HILs.
- Building Two: A 20-story tower at the northwest corner, featuring 200 social housing units—41 studios, 89 one-bedrooms, and 70 two-bedrooms—with 60 below-HILs units and 140 above-HILs.
- Building Three: The tallest structure at 32 stories, positioned at the southwest corner, comprising 272 social housing units—58 studios, 118 one-bedrooms, 95 two-bedrooms, and one three-bedroom—split into 82 below-HILs units and 190 above-HILs.
- Building Four: A 28-story tower at the southeast corner, containing 252 social housing units—82 studios, 80 one-bedrooms, 68 two-bedrooms, and 22 three-bedrooms—divided into 76 below-HILs units and 176 above-HILs.
The development also includes a three-level underground parkade providing 207 vehicle spaces and 1,266 bicycle spaces shared among all four buildings.
The site is currently occupied by Southwynd Place, a three-story apartment complex built in 1976 that houses 90 seniors’ units. The development team plans to seek funding from various sources, including the City of Vancouver’s Community Housing Incentive Program (CHIP), the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Affordable Housing Fund, CMHC’s Apartment Construction Loan Program, Vancity, BC Housing, BC Builds, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund. The financing process will run parallel to the city’s regulatory approval process.
The project has been in progress since June 2023, when a rezoning letter of inquiry was submitted. Since then, modifications have been made in collaboration with city officials, including shifting the project to 100% residential use, increasing the height of Building Two, and adjusting the massing of each structure.
The applicants are targeting a 7.5-month timeline for rezoning approval to meet lender requirements and secure funding. Once rezoning is approved, each building will undergo separate development applications.
The City of Vancouver has yet to schedule a Q&A period for the rezoning application. This proposal is among the most substantial social housing projects the city has seen in recent years. It is located near the Ashley Mar redevelopment—now known as Signal—by Oxford Properties and Intracorp, which features one of Canada’s largest co-op housing developments.
