Nicola Wealth Real Estate (NWRE) has secured approval to redevelop the City Centre Motel site in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant area.

The former motel has stood at 2111 Main Street for more than 70 years.

Vancouver city council’s unanimous decision allows NWRE to transform the site, located at the northwest corner of East Sixth Avenue and Main Street into a high-density, two-tower, mixed-use development aligned with the city’s Broadway Plan.

The location offers excellent transit connectivity, including proximity to the future Mount Pleasant and Great Northern Way-Emily Carr SkyTrain stations on the Millennium line extension, set to open in fall 2027.

NWRE acquired the site in 2021 for $60 million, according to the Daily Hive. Since then, NWRE has temporarily repurposed the former motel as a hub for arts and cultural activities.

NWRE intends to continue supporting arts and culture by integrating dedicated space within the redevelopment.

According to NWRE’s development application, the approved project will introduce 446 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 230 units in the north tower and 216 in the south tower. In line with Broadway Plan requirements, 20% of these units (approximately 90 homes) will be designated below-market rentals, with the remaining 356 as market-rate rentals.

Additionally, 40% of the units will contain two or more bedrooms.

The development will also feature nearly 16,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space along Main Street, East Fifth Avenue and East Sixth Avenue.

Future City Centre Motel redevelopment at 2111 Main Street in Vancouver.

Rendering: City of Vancouver/Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Nicola Wealth Real Estate