Grosvenor Property Canada has submitted a revised rezoning application to the City of Vancouver to redevelop the former Oakridge Transit Centre lands into what would become a new neighbourhood called Mayfair West.

The proposal calls for 16 buildings ranging from six to 33 storeys, more than 52,000 square feet of commercial space, a two-acre public park and a 69-space childcare facility, according to Grosvenor’s application.

City council approved the initial proposal for the 14-acre site at West 41st Avenue and Oak Street in December 2020. At the time, a different company owned the site. Grosvenor acquired the site in 2022.

The original plan was to build a total of 1,630 residential units over 17 buildings that included a combination of strata, rental and social housing. Grosvenor’s plan proposes 2,627 units, along with transferring a dirt site to the city that has the potential for 361 social housing units.

The most significant change from the initial application is the increase in purpose-built rental housing: 1,404 market and below-market rental homes compared to 170 in the previous plan.

‘Financial challenges’

Grosvenor said the original rezoning plan was no longer economically viable.

“The low density of the previous rezoning along with the positive build covenants associated with amenity delivery exacerbates the financial challenges, rendering the original rezoning plan undeliverable,” the developer said.

“These updates are essential to ensure that the project remains economically viable over what will be a multi-phase, multi-year buildout.”

While taller buildings envisioned in the original plan remain concentrated along 41st Avenue, the site now features a varied distribution of building heights. Grosvenor said the revision will balance the goal of minimizing shadowing on the park “with the opportunity to provide additional density where most appropriate.”

Grosvenor promises the following for the project:

“Mayfair West will provide a vibrant, inclusive and well-connected community, integrating new housing, amenities and open space while maintaining strong urban design principles, site porosity and neighbourhood connectivity.”

B.C. Electric

The most recent history of the site goes back to 1948 when B.C. Electric acquired the property from the Canadian Pacific Railway for use as an electric trolley bus depot and administration offices.

In 2006, the bulk of bus depot activities were transferred to the Vancouver Transit Centre on Hudson Street in Marpole near the Arthur Laing Bridge. The only remaining transit-related building on the site is a rectifier substation, which provides service to TransLink’s electrified trolleybus wires.

Grosvenor’s application says the building will be relocated to the west lane during the first phase of redevelopment and ultimately replaced with street-fronting commercial space along the 41st Avenue frontage in a future phase.

The city has opened a question-answer period for people to weigh in on the proposal until July 1. Feedback can be given via email on the city’s “Shape Your City” section of the website.

A public information session will take place Wednesday, June 24 at the Jewish Community Centre.

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