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 Scotiabank suffers direct deposit outage on pay day
Scotiabank has acknowledged technical difficulties affecting direct deposits as clients report missed payments Friday morning. On Friday morning, the bank's client services phone line was playing an automated message assuring customers that work was underway to rectify the outage.
Canada Soccer head investigating 'systemic ethical shortcoming' amid spying scandal
Canada Soccer chief executive officer Kevin Blue said he was investigating a potential 'systemic ethical shortcoming' within the program but has not considered pulling the women's soccer team from the Paris Olympics due to a drone spying scandal.
Suspected train sabotage, bad weather dampen spirits ahead of Paris opening ceremony
The Paris Olympics are getting off to a rough start, with suspected acts of sabotage targeting France's flagship high-speed rail network.
Elon Musk's estranged daughter calls out his 'entirely fake' claims about her childhood
Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk's estranged daughter, publicly refuted several recent anti-trans statements her Tesla CEO and X owner father has made about her.
'She led it the whole way': 18-year-old B.C. woman leads hikers to safety in Jasper National Park
As fire threatened people in Jasper National Park, Colleen Knull sprung into action.
'Catastrophic' situation 'cannot continue': Open letter from Trudeau, other PMs calling for Gaza ceasefire
Prime ministers of Canada, New Zealand and Australia released a letter renewing calls for an “urgent ceasefire” in Gaza on Friday morning.
Arson attacks cause chaos before start of Olympics in Paris, thwarting athletes' travel
Arsonists attacked the French high-speed rail network early Friday, paralyzing travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe for some 800,000 people, including Olympic athletes heading to the grand opening ceremony of the Games in the evening.
Saskatchewan First Nation lifts 17-year long water advisory
After 17 years, residents of Star Blanket Cree Nation can breathe a sigh of relief when turning on their taps.
Latest updates on wildfires in Jasper National Park: Rain, cooler weather limiting spread
Cool and wet weather is making a difference in Jasper National Park.