Granville Island planning new elevator and staircase tower to Granville Bridge, observation deck, and an additional market building with underground parking

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However, critics have overlooked the fact that the final, permanent, and fully optimized design of the Granville Connector was, for years, planned to be delivered in multiple phases in the future, with the initial phase now completed, intentionally conceived as a lightweight, interim solution to establish the walking and cycling pathways.

The future phases of permanent improvements and design considerations, and higher quality furnishings and materials — including the installation of suicide-prevention fencing — will cost tens of millions of dollars more, and such funding has yet to be secured by the City of Vancouver.

In addition to the City’s final permanent design concept, there could be an even greater addition in the future to top it all off, but as a separate project led by a federal entity found directly below the bridge.

CMHC Granville Island, the local entity that manages Granville Island on behalf of its federal owner, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), is now focusing on advancing plans for the new elevator and staircase tower that will connect the Granville Bridge’s pedestrian and cycling pathways to Granville Island, about nine storeys below.

In an interview with Daily Hive Urbanized, Thomas Lancaster, the General Manager of CMHC Granville Island, says this new vertical access project is now his organization’s top capital project priority.

But quite a bit has changed with this elevator and staircase tower concept, ever since it was first identified in the 2017 creation of the Granville Island 2040 (GI2040) master plan.

For one, the municipal government ultimately opted to locate the Granville Connector’s pathways on the west side of the bridge deck to offer more optimal views — a departure from an earlier concept that envisioned a raised pathway running down the centre roadway. In line with that initial vision for the pathways, the original and highly preliminary concept in GI2040 suggested situating the elevator and staircase tower — along with an observation deck attraction high above the bridge — at the centre of the span by puncturing through the bridge deck.

Currently, CMHC Granville Island is undergoing detailed design and planning work for an elevator and staircase tower on the east side of the bridge — as opposed to the centre of the bridge or the west side of the bridge, right next to the Granville Connector.

The east side of the bridge deck currently features a pedestrian sidewalk, which was recently improved with the addition of a protective concrete barrier separating it from vehicle traffic. The City also has plans to make further improvements to this east sidewalk at some point in the future, as a major part of the overall permanent design of the Granville Connector.

To enable pedestrians and cyclists to access the west side of the bridge with ease, where the Granville Connector’s wide pedestrian and cycling pathways are situated, the intention is to establish a new traffic signal-controlled crossing in the middle of the bridge deck. This fully lit intersection would enable pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross the six lanes of vehicle traffic.

Lancaster suggested that such a mid-bridge intersection would also help curb excessive vehicle speeds on the bridge by naturally slowing traffic.

Additionally, TransLink bus stops would be added onto the bridge deck on both the northbound and southbound sides — right next to the intersection and entrance for the elevator and staircase tower.

Lancaster believes that the combination of the Granville Connector’s pathways, the elevator and staircase tower, TransLink bus stops, and SkyTrain Millennium Line’s new South Granville Station (on West Broadway) would be a game-changing enhancement to how residents, workers, and tourists access Granville Island. When it comes to the workforce alone, there are about 3,000 people who commute to and from the island each day.

People would be able to get to Granville Island from South Granville Station in about seven minutes by bus and then descend on the elevator or staircase.

“Because of the way the City is building the greenway on the bridge, it lends itself now to that vertical connection so that people can just easily access rapid transit and frequent transit,” he said.

“Our transportation study shows us that with the South Granville Station on West Broadway and a quick bus ride from there to the bridge, which I think is going to be every four minutes or so in peak periods, connecting into downtown, you don’t even need a schedule. You can just jump into that elevator, climb the stairs, or whatever it is.”

Observation tower attraction, new major market building, and an underground parkade

Lancaster also told Daily Hive Urbanized that an observation deck attraction rising above the bridge deck elevation is still part of the vision, though it will differ from the concept originally illustrated in the GI2040 plan.

While the project is more than just an elevator and staircase tower connecting the bridge deck to the ground level — and more than the added attraction of an observation deck on top of the tower — it also promises to deliver significant additions below on Granville Island. The tower and observation deck will rise from a brand new additional market and food building, comparable in size to the existing Granville Island Public Market.

The land area for this mixed-use development with an integrated vertical access tower is immediately to the east of the bridge is a lot size of about 37,000 sq. ft. This development site — situated just behind Granville Island Brewing, within the general vicinity of the prominent intersection of Anderson Street and Cartwright Street — currently entails an old warehouse used as indoor vehicle parking, surface parking lots, and a parcel that was recently made vacant, following the demolition of a dilapidated building.

This new building’s significant leasable area will provide much-needed new additional revenue for CMHC Granville Island to better sustain its growing operating and maintenance costs, fund the continued renewal of aging buildings and infrastructure, and implement more revitalization components outlined in GI2040.

“We’re not just going to spend $11 million or $12 million on a cool elevator. That’s not a good expenditure. What we’re trying to do is build, first of all, functionally something that will get people up and down really quickly and is also integrated into another cool building that allows for more space for makers, artists, and food,” said Lancaster.

But there is even more to this project.

Right below this new building and vertical access tower, there will be a new major underground parkade, which replaces not only the existing parking on the site but also serves to consolidate some of the existing surface parking lots elsewhere on the island.

The consolidation enables his organization to begin implementing more of the components in GI2040, such as turning surface parking lots into car-free, event-friendly public plazas. In the process, Granville Island’s vehicle traffic patterns would change, too.

Moving forward, the next step is to seek capital funding from their owners, the federal government. This would represent the largest capital investment for Granville Island since its original conversion in the 1970s and early 1980s from heavy industrial uses to an arts, culture, food, and tourism destination, with the ever-busy Heidelberg Materials concrete plant being the sole remaining active industrial use.

There would be a high upfront cost, but Granville Island has not seen any major reinvestment in half a century. It would also help address the accessibility and transportation woes in a meaningful way, provide new ongoing operating revenue, renew public and tourist interest in the destination, and enable more of the GI2040 revitalization to proceed.

Lancaster estimates CHMC Granville Island needs just over $10 million per year in additional operating revenue to properly carry out its mandate, with the lease revenue of the new major building expected to make a real dent toward achieving this target. This will provide the organization with financial sustainability moving forward.

He adds that the federal government has, to date, been highly receptive to the project’s concept, and it aligns with the new federal leadership’s economic focus.

“We don’t have the financial capacity to renew the infrastructure and the buildings,” he said.

“And so, with all of the capital costs, that’s where we’re in trouble. But you know, CMHC has been operating this island according to our mandate now since 1973, and we just lack the financial tools to be able to renew the island.”

Filling the void left by Emily Carr’s departure

This project also plays a key role in Granville Island’s ongoing evolution following the departure of its longtime tenant, Emily Carr University of Art and Design (ECUAD), which relocated to a new purpose-built campus in the False Creek Flats in 2017.

With an enrolment of about 4,000 students, ECUAD once brought a distinct youthful vibrancy to Granville Island — not only through its creative presence but also by providing a steady stream of students who supported and worked in local businesses and arts organizations during their studies.

Lancaster notes that there is now a renewed focus on filling the void left by ECUAD’s exit by introducing new activities, businesses, and programming aimed at engaging young people.

But in some ways, he says, ECUAD’s departure has actually enhanced the vibrancy of the island’s eastern side, which now hosts more activities geared toward local residents — in contrast to the western side, which has more offerings catered to visitors. Following ECUAD’s exit, Arts Umbrella and Ballet BC effectively played a game of musical chairs with the island’s facilities: Arts Umbrella moved into ECUAD’s former south building, exponentially expanding its footprint, while Ballet BC relocated from downtown Vancouver into Arts Umbrella’s previous home on the island.

His team is still in the process of seeking new tenants to fill the old, large former north building of ECUAD. The procurement process began in September 2024, resulting in seven “really good” expressions of interest, which were recently narrowed down to two to be invited to participate in the detailed bidding process of the Request For Proposals (RFP) stage.

They are hoping to have a selected proponent and finalized lease by early 2026, which would then lead to some tenant-led upgrades of the aging facility. Ideally, he says, the new uses will enable some public access to the 125,000 sq. ft. building, as opposed to ECUAD’s previous enclosed, private use.

Massive overhaul of Granville Island Public Market on the horizon

In terms of a facility on Granville Island that needs the greatest attention for renewal, Lancaster shared that this would be the Granville Island Public Market — even though it has already received most of the organization’s attention in the last decade.

Currently, the most significant and visible construction project is the first phase of the rehabilitation of the public market’s old roof, specifically the westernmost side of the complex. This first phase of roof rehabilitation — requiring the installation of a giant temporary protection tent and scaffolding structure — carries a cost of $4 million, and further phases to upgrade the remaining roof will cost an additional $9 million.

But far more intrusive and intense renovations are required within the foreseeable future — by 2040, at the very latest, due to its growing age and condition.

The public market, opened in 1979, was the first new major use to open on the island during its post-industrial revitalization. What appears to be a seamless market complex at the northwest corner is, in fact, a collection of six former industrial buildings — some dating back more than a century.

Lancaster says this future project will completely overhaul the entire public market complex from top to bottom, including the electrical and mechanical systems, pipes, sewers, and the overall structure. Such work is expected to be in the range of tens of millions of dollars, exponentially more than the current roof project.

This could be a highly disruptive project: a multi-year full closure of the public market complex is not out of the question. He says they are already beginning to think of ways to mitigate the impact, such as establishing a temporary market by pulling in a barge and/or pitching a big tent to establish a bazaar of sorts.

They will also need some major contingencies for any unexpected costs as a result of any unexpected discoveries when they begin to poke around during construction.

As a case in point, a recent upgrade of the public market’s washrooms led to the daylighting of a huge cavernous, empty space and some railroad tracks.

“These were probably the most expensive public washrooms in Vancouver,” quipped Lancaster. “We were finding things that we had no idea were there.”

These uncertainties are replicated in many other old industrial buildings across the island that now also need some tender love and care.

Altogether, Granville Island’s necessary maintenance and infrastructure improvement costs are within the range of hundreds of millions of dollars. This includes an estimated $120 million for extensive work to protect the island from future sea level rise, including a gradual elevation of the island.

The prospect of Senakw boosting Granville Island

But over the near term, there is also something to look forward to — the positive business spinoff impacts from Granville Island’s close proximity to Squamish Nation’s Senakw rental housing project — squeezed into their reserve at the south end of the Burrard Street Bridge.

The first phase of Senakw will reach completion between late 2025 and late 2026, with the first tower starting in late 2025 and the remaining two towers completing the initial phase. By the early 2030s, the remaining three phases will reach completion.

Upon full completion of all phases, Senakw will provide over 6,000 secured purpose-built rental homes for as many as 9,000 people. It will also have some local-serving retail/restaurant uses, including a possible mid-sized grocery store, but the commercial space will be relatively minor overall. Senakw also adds to Granville Island’s case to cater more of its offerings to young people.

Lancaster told Daily Hive Urbanized his team has already begun planning to better suit the needs of residents to capture them, such as potentially expanding their food, grocery, and other local-serving offerings.

“We’re going to go back to our roots from 1979, when we launched the market, and make it a true unique experience for people to connect with food,” he said.

Immediately adjacent to the future site of the new market building and vertical access tower is the newly completed “Chain & Forge” building — Granville Island’s first major redevelopment since it was first created by CMHC over four decades ago.

Chain & Forge is a complete transformation of a former indoor parkade — once an industrial building — into 9,000 square feet of leasable commercial space. The redevelopment has been divided into seven restaurant units, including a new home for Alimentaria Mexicana. This repurposed building provides CMHC Granville Island with not only new revenue, but also a new event-friendly public plaza — a covered space from its location directly beneath the bridge, previously used as a surface vehicle parking lot.

Earlier this summer, the public realm created by the new plaza was further enhanced with the permanent closure of an adjacent section of Anderson Street, west of Chain & Forge, transforming it into a car-free, pedestrian-only linear plaza. The space is distinguished by a colourful mural painted between the rails of the historic railway tracks, embedded into the street’s pavement.

The completion of Chain & Forge, along with the conversion of a surface parking lot into a public plaza, marks the first phase of the GI2040 plan’s implementation and offers a preview of what is to come across the island under this strategy.

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