A big new building just got the green light

Good morning, Vancouver. Beautiful out here. Complicated in here. That's the coast.

Over at City Hall, a significant building permit just dropped, signaling some serious changes coming to a familiar stretch of Kitsilano. Permit number BP-2025-03466 was issued on July 27th, clearing the way for a massive mixed-use development at 1738 W 11th Avenue. We're talking about a $105,000,000 project that will bring two residential towers and 282 secured rental units.

Now, that's a lot of housing, which is something we talk about constantly in this city. This isn't just another teardown of a Vancouver Special for a duplex. This is a big one. It's listed under the "Certified Professional Program," which usually means a streamlined process for projects that meet certain criteria. It’s a substantial commitment to adding density, especially with those secured rental units.

Meanwhile, a less dramatic but still telling detail: on April 21st, Council gave unanimous approval for a short-term rental business license at 1801-1788 Columbia Street, though Councillor R. Bligh was absent for that vote. It seems the city is still navigating how to manage the short-term rental market, one application at a time. This specific approval might seem small, but each one chips away at the overall housing stock if not balanced carefully. We’ll be watching to see how these big projects and smaller approvals impact our neighbourhoods, particularly with the rental market already so tight.

Kenji Nakashima, MiTL Sports Desk, Vancouver.

You can hear more of this kind of thing from the crew over at mornings.live.