Vancouver city council rezones Marpole property for high-rise development

South Vancouver will be the home of two new towers after Vancouver city council unanimously approved a developer’s rezoning application for a property in Marpole.

Following a Jan. 21 public hearing at city hall, council voted in favour of Wesgroup Properties’ plan to develop a 28,000 sq. ft. property at 8175 Cambie St., the former site of a Petro-Canada gas station.

The plan includes 368 condo units in 12- and 31-storey towers, 15,000 sq. ft. of commercial space and a 37-space childcare centre, to be built near the Marine Drive Canada Line station and Marine Gateway development.

The developer also secured $2 million for a 4500 sq. ft. space that is expected to become the home of Marpole Oakridge Family Place, which is still closed after it flooded in December.

Oakridge and Marpole residents speak out against project

Tracey Moir of the Oakridge Langara Area Residents group was the only speaker to voice opposition to the project at the hearing, while three others spoke in favour of it.

“This undermines the Cambie Corridor,” Moir said of the development. The Cambie Corridor plan is part of city hall’s goal to create sustainable urban neighbourhoods.

Marpole resident Janet Young raised questions about the development in a letter to city council.

“This development brings around another round of change to our neighbourhood, and it is difficult to envisage what it will look like and how it will impact our lives,” she wrote.

Reported by Hannah Myrberg