A non-profit housing provider hopes to win the city’s approval of a proposed 26-storey apartment tower in Vancouver’s West End that would not contain any parking spots.

The Bloom Group Nicholson Housing Society, the property’s owner, aims to capitalize on the city’s new apartment-parking policy. Under the revised rules, new builds in the West End and along the future Broadway subway route are not required to include vehicle stalls.

Bloom also hopes to benefit from the city’s loosened building-height restrictions that allow for taller buildings, higher density, more units and, ultimately, additional revenue.

Arcadis, the project’s lead designer, has filed a development application with the city on Bloom’s behalf.

If all goes according to plan, all of the tower’s 136 units would constitute social housing, the Daily Hive reported. The property is located at 1111 Broughton Street near Pendrell Street. It previously comprised an early-1900s-era home that was destroyed by fire, according to the Hive.

The Hive noted that the small lot’s tightness makes underground-parking construction difficult. Citing a city estimate, Global reported that each parking spot adds $100,000 to construction costs. The proposed project would offer storage for 200 bicycles on two underground levels.

The area has limited public on-street parking availability.

As a result of the other municipal policy change, Bloom is proposing a building height of 249 feet. City council’s July 2024 decision reduced the number of view cones that restrict heights in certain areas. (View cones are designed to ensure that tall towers do not obstruct North Shore mountain vistas.)

Investors, developers and other groups sought the reduction to help offset the city’s housing shortage and make development opportunities more financially viable.

Peter Meiszner, a city councillor, told Global News that the proposed 28,000-square-foot building’s height is consistent with newer and older towers in the area.

“It’s similar in height to some of the buildings in the West End that were constructed recently as well as buildings dating back to the 1970s,” Meiszner told Global. “This is what is permitted under the West End plan with some of the changes we’ve seen with the new view-cone policies.”

Bloom’s development application calls for 25 conventional floors and a rooftop level with indoor and outdoor amenities open to all residents. Most of the suites would comprise studios (44) and one-bedroom units (44).

The building would also contain a limited number of accessible-studio (4) and two-bedroom apartments (8).

Pictured (foreground): Proposed apartment tower in Vancouver’s West End that would not offer vehicle parking.

Rendering: City of Vancouver/Arcadis/Bloom Group