Future Gilmore Place office tower pivots to 100% residential uses
The amended Gilmore Place Master Plan would instead enable a 65-storey Tower 4 containing 509 strata market ownership condominium homes in the upper levels and 250 secured purpose-built below-market rental homes in the lower levels. Altogether, there would be 759 homes in this single tower.
The unit size mix of the condominiums is 41 studios, 297 one-bedroom units, 132 two-bedroom units, and 49 three-bedroom units, while the non-market rental housing mix is 32 studios, 132 one-bedroom units, 58 two-bedroom units, and 28 three-bedroom units. The ground level would contain retail/restaurant space.
Tower 4 would remain at the same location near the core of the overall Gilmore Place development site, with the new north-south Carleton Avenue as its frontage.
Proposed changes to Phase 2 of Gilmore Place. (Onni Group)
Cancelled plans for Tower 4 as a 37-storey office tower:
Cancelled: Artistic rendering of the office tower at the Gilmore Place redevelopment in Burnaby. (Onni Group)
New plans for Tower 4 as a 65-storey residential tower:
Proposed changes to Phase 2 of Gilmore Place. (Onni Group)
As can be expected, the 100% pivot from office to residential uses is due to the current poor office market conditions, combined with a desire to front-load the project’s inclusionary rental housing requirements.
“Due to the current market demand for commercial office towers in the Brentwood area, and the desire to deliver non-market rental units earlier in the project, the applicant has requested that Tower 4 revert to a high-rise residential tower with ground oriented commercial, as originally anticipated by the Gilmore Place Master Plan, and that the inclusionary rental requirement generated by Phase 2 be delivered with the current phase of construction, thus de-coupling Phase 2 and Phase 3 rezoning applications while delivering non-market housing sooner,” reads a new City staff report.
In addition to Tower 4, Phase 2 of Gilmore Place also includes a 52-storey Tower 5 and a 47-storey Tower 6, which entail strata market ownership condominium uses over a two-storey base podium with retail/restaurant uses. Both Tower 5 and Tower 6 front Dawson Street along the southern edge of the property.
It is noted that Phase 2 would contain a significant public space component — the creation of Carleton Plaza, which would be connected by a grand staircase to the second level of retail/restaurant uses in the recently completed Phase 1 section of the project. Movements to these upper commercial levels would be further aided by several escalators and elevators.
Seven underground levels would contain 1,762 vehicle parking stalls — 1,492 stalls for residential uses and 270 stalls for commercial uses — and nearly 3,700 secured bike parking spaces, serving Tower 4, Tower 5, and Tower 6.
The excavated pit for the future construction of Phase 2 of Gilmore Place, as seen in October 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
The excavated pit for the future construction of Phase 2 of Gilmore Place, as seen in October 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Situated on the west side of the SkyTrain station, Phase 1 entailing three towers achieved completion in 2024, and it includes Tower 2 — Metro Vancouver’s new tallest building, reaching 708 ft. with 64 floors.
Other towers in Phase 1 include the 51-storey Tower 1 and the 43-storey Tower 3. All three towers combined in Phase 1 contain about 1,560 strata market ownership condominium homes, 272,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant space, and about 80,000 sq. ft. of office space, along with seven underground levels with 2,600 vehicle parking stalls, including about 1,700 stalls for residential uses and 900 stalls for commercial uses.
Phase 1 includes a major public space component — a linear public plaza oriented around the SkyTrain elevated guideway that bisects the site.
T&T Supermarket has been announced as the anchor tenant of Phase 1’s commercial uses, with the 55,000 sq. ft. grocery store scheduled to open in Summer 2025.
In total, there are four phases to the Gilmore Place project, with the Phase 3 and Phase 4 parcels situated on the east side of the development site.
Construction progress of Gilmore Place’s first phase, as of May 30, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Construction progress of Gilmore Place’s first phase, as of May 30, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Construction progress of Gilmore Place’s first phase, as of May 30, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
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