Vancouver developer cancels 17-storey office tower for Granville Entertainment District
A major project to help revitalize Vancouver's Granville Entertainment District has hit a speed bump.
Bonnis Properties, the developer behind the project, has canceled plans to build a 17-storey office tower, citing a lack of urgency from city planners and a shift in office vacancy rates.
“Time kills all great things, and what really killed this project was city staff and planning,” said Kerry Bonnis, a principal with the development company.
Bonnis said declining demand for office tenancy also contributed to the company’s decision.
“The effect of COVID-19 was extremely detrimental to office tenancy demands,” he said.
The project, called 800 Granville, is still slated to include restaurant and performance spaces. It's part of the city’s push to revitalize the Granville strip. Part of that planning includes expanding and enhancing public space to support a range of activities, protecting and strengthening job space, expanding tourism and improving transportation.
Coun. Rebecca Bligh said she was disappointed to hear the developer’s decision to cancel the office component.
“It’s obviously a little troubling as a city councillor when we see major proposals back to the drawing board," she said.
Bligh said despite the setback, the city is committed to renewing the area.
“We know that revitalizing this area in terms of the overall opportunity that there is to create a really exciting, vibrant hub in our downtown core is 100 per cent a priority,” she added.
Bonnis said the company is now looking at finding other uses to fill the space.
“We need to sort of define and refine what looks possible,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Baby and grandparents killed in wrong-way crash involving police on Ontario's Highway 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
Freeland tables motion previewing omnibus budget bill
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass the sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget.
Judge holds Trump in contempt, fines him US$9,000 and raises threat of jail in hush money trial
Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined US$9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. If he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Court upholds Milwaukee police officer's firing for posting racist memes after Sterling Brown arrest
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a former Milwaukee police officer was properly fired for posting racist memes related to the arrest of an NBA player that triggered a public outcry.
New cancer treatment approved, but not everyone thinks it's what's best for patients
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
T. rex is at the centre of a debate over dinosaur intelligence
Surmising even the physical appearance of a dinosaur - or any extinct animal - based on its fossils is a tricky proposition, with so many uncertainties involved. Assessing a dinosaur's intelligence, considering the innumerable factors contributing to that trait, is exponentially more difficult.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.