Vancouver council to review Holborn's $2.8B downtown redevelopment July 23
The Holborn Group's proposal would add 1,546 homes, a 920-room hotel, and social housing to two blocks bounded by Georgia, Seymour, Dunsmuir and Richards streets.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Vancouver city council will get its first look July 23 at the Holborn Group's proposal to transform two downtown blocks into 1,546 new homes, a 920-room hotel, and more than 70,000 square feet of conference space, with three large ballrooms. The project is estimated to cost $2.8 billion.
The Georgia Street site encompasses 36 parcels bounded by Georgia, Seymour, Dunsmuir and Richards streets. The only property excluded from the proposal is an English language school at Dunsmuir and Seymour streets, which Holborn does not own. Three towers would be built—two at 68 storeys and one at 79 storeys. The hotel would stand at 1,034 feet, making it the tallest building in Western Canada, and would include a three-level observation deck and garden accessible to the public.
Holborn is also proposing to convert its parking lot at 388 Abbott Street in the Downtown Eastside into 276 social housing homes, a 37-space child-care facility, and a 5,150-square-foot Indigenous art gallery. This Abbott Street project would be given to the city as a community amenity contribution and would include three artist-in-residence spaces for members of the Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation.
City staff have recommended the proposal delivers on several Official Development Plan policy objectives, including rental and social housing, economic development, child care, and arts and cultural spaces. However, staff have also written an alternative recommendation allowing council to refer the proposal back to staff once the city's Higher Buildings Policy review is completed in 2027. The current policy has been in place since 1997.
The facts
When will Vancouver city council review Holborn's downtown proposal?
July 23, 2026. Vancouver city council will review the Holborn Group's proposal to transform two downtown blocks.
How many homes would the Holborn project add to downtown Vancouver?
1,546 new homes. The project would also include a 920-room hotel and more than 70,000 square feet of conference space across the Georgia Street site.
What is the hotel's height and what would it include?
The hotel would stand at 1,034 feet, making it the tallest building in Western Canada. It would include a three-level observation deck and garden accessible to the public.
What is Holborn proposing for the Abbott Street parking lot?
Holborn would convert the 388 Abbott Street lot in the Downtown Eastside into 276 social housing homes, a 37-space child-care facility, and a 5,150-square-foot Indigenous art gallery with three artist-in-residence spaces for members of the Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation. This project would be given to the city as a community amenity contribution.