Western Canada's tallest tower heads to Vancouver City Council with free public observation deck
The 1,034-foot Holborn Group development would include a 920-room hotel, convention space, and free access for city residents at over 1,000 feet.
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Vancouver is set to consider one of the city's most ambitious private development proposals this summer: a trio of skyscrapers including Western Canada's tallest building.
The Holborn Group's rezoning application would redevelop nearly the entire city block occupied by the Hudson's Bay parkade, bounded by West Georgia, Seymour, Dunsmuir, and Richards streets. The main tower, fronting Seymour Street, would reach 68 storeys and contain roughly 920 hotel rooms (a mix of short-term and extended-stay suites) alongside over 70,000 square feet of convention and meeting space—creating one of B.C.'s largest conference centres within a hotel.
The tallest tower would reach 1,034 feet (315 metres), making it not only Metro Vancouver's tallest building but also the first technical "supertall" tower in Canada outside Toronto. At its top, a fully enclosed glass-domed observation deck at over 1,000 feet would offer panoramic views of the Lower Mainland and beyond. Crucially, the developer has agreed to offer free access to the observation deck for City of Vancouver residents for the life of the building—a commitment guaranteed through a legal agreement on the property title.
The project also includes a separate City of Vancouver-owned social housing tower on an edge-of-Gastown site. Designed by Vancouver-based Henriquez Partners Architects, the application was submitted just over a year ago in June 2025.
City Council is expected to follow City staff's recommendation to refer the rezoning application to a public hearing later this month.
