29-storey Marriott and rental tower approved for Yaletown corner
Vancouver City Council unanimously greenlit a mixed-use development at Smithe and Cambie that will add a 246-room luxury hotel and 165 rental homes to a longtime dead zone downtown.
The northeast corner of Smithe and Cambie—a stretch of underused commercial buildings and storage spaces—is about to transform. Vancouver City Council unanimously approved a 29-storey, 280-foot mixed-use tower that will replace what Nonni Property Group CEO Gino Nonni called "a dead zone, to be frank, with antiquated office buildings and empty office buildings and many storage that has social issues and indeed crime."
The project is a collaboration between Vancouver-based developer Nonni Property Group and architectural firm McKinley Studios. The first 13 floors will house a 246-room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel—a 4.5-star property designed around the neighborhood's character. The ground floor will feature a major restaurant and lounge (over 13,000 square feet) plus a café. Hotel guests get indoor and outdoor amenity spaces on the eighth floor, including a wrap-around patio, fitness gym, and spa.
Above that, floors 14 through 29 will contain 165 secured purpose-built market rental homes: 75 studios, 60 two-bedroom units, and 30 three-bedroom units. The 14th floor dedicates itself entirely to shared residential amenities—another wrap-around patio, gym, spa, and lounge. Nonni explained that below-market affordable units weren't financially feasible given the complexity and costs of building a dual hotel-residential tower, but the market-rate rentals still represent a sizable infusion of supply in a constrained market.
The location is strategic: close to BC Place and Rogers Arena, the entertainment district, SkyTrain stations, and major employers like SAP and Amazon. City Councillor Mike Klassen emphasized this during the public hearing. "The proposal also helps to revive and strengthen this part of the city with more activity at street level and more people supporting nearby businesses throughout the day and evening," he said.
Construction could start as early as 2028, with completion targeted five years later. The developer has locked in a 25-year franchise agreement with Marriott International, and Hotel Equities will operate the property. The project is expected to generate roughly 160 full-time jobs. Now that rezoning is approved, Nonni Property Group will pursue development and building permits. The city's recent policy push toward mixed-use hotel and residential density is paying off—and this corner is about to show it.