MST Development Corporation and the Aquilini Group are planning a massive redevelopment on a 10-acre site near the Rupert SkyTrain station in Vancouver.

Located near Rupert Street and East Broadway, the property covers 2625 Rupert Street and 3200 East Broadway. The collective address is 3200 East Broadway.

The site currently comprises a former B.C. Liquor warehouse now owned by MST. A joint development application-area plan is currently going through public consultation. A public meeting will be held October 10 at Sunrise Hall (1950 Windermere Street.)

The site’s proposed new towers would rank among the tallest on the Lower Mainland. The city recognizes the property as a “unique site.” Under city policy, such properties provide opportunities for early-stage public feedback on proposed developments due to their large scale and complexity of size.

MST Development is the jointly owned development arm of the Musqueam Squamish and Sleil-Waututh First Nations, which are known as MST. The Aquilini Group is controlled by the Aquilini family, which owns the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League and numerous other real estate assets, including Rogers Arena.

“This [proposal] will permit a mixed-use development that offers a diverse range of housing, employment and amenity options,” says the city in an online 3200 East Broadway development application portal. “It will also provide a unique opportunity to revive a strong MST economy and culture on the land.”

The project is also designed to foster reconciliation between the city and the MST people, acknowledging Canada’s history of residential schools and the impact of the loss of ancestral land and culture due to colonialism. During Canada’s residential school era that lasted decades, many Indigenous children were taken from their families, severely abused and killed under often mysterious circumstances.

The Rupert Station and Renfrew Station Plan is being considered concurrently with the 3200 East Broadway development application. (The Rupert and Renfrew SkyTrain stations are separate locations on north-south streets of the same name situated near East Broadway.)

Two 3200 East Broadway project options, known as Salmon and Cedar (wood), will be considered. (Salmon and Cedar are staples of Indigenous culture and history on the West Coast.)

One option would be presented to the city eventually as part of the development-application process.

Both options call for 3,800 mixed-tenure residential units covering 3.25 million square feet and employment space that would create 1,750 jobs across 750,000 sf of retail, hotel, office, and industrial premises. An intercultural greenhouse, childcare facilities, new public space and a plaza spanning roughly 2.5 acres would also be included, along with an affordable housing component with a mix and tenure to be determined.

The two options contain slightly different building totals and heights. But each option calls for multiple 60-storey, 49-storey, 32-storey and 23-storey towers. Other building heights vary by a few floors according to the respective options.

The city would have to make an exception that allows residential units to be built on industrial land. The exception would also need approval from Metro Vancouver, an umbrella organization for the region’s municipal governments.

Among its many functions, Metro Vancouver sets policies on issues that affect the entire region. The group also approves joint infrastructure projects, including SkyTrain-related investments. A short distance away from the proposed project site, East Broadway converts into Lougheed Highway.

Lougheed Highway is a key transportation corridor that connects to major transportation arteries throughout the region.

Rendering: City of Vancouver/Aquilini Group/MST Development