Telecom major Telus is seeking to redevelop an aging industrial site in east Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood into a pair of rental-apartment towers with childcare, arts space, and retail uses included.

The Vancouver-based company is looking to redevelop the site through its multi-residential real estate arm Telus Living, which focuses on repurposing surplus properties as the telecom’s network shifts from copper infrastructure to fibre optics.

The proposal targets a 1.4-acre property at 730 Raymur Ave., currently occupied by a 1960s-era warehouse, just north of Strathcona Park and adjacent to a major rail corridor serving Burrard Inlet port operations. While the site sits in an industrial pocket, it is surrounded by a mix of social housing and seniors’ care facilities.

Unlike many other Telus Living redevelopments, the proposed Strathcona project does not include a telecommunications component, instead focusing entirely on market-rental housing, Daily Hive Urbanized reported.

A development application submitted to the city calls for two towers of 22 and 25 storeys rising from a shared three-storey podium, designed by Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership with landscape design by PFS Studio. The development would deliver 436 purpose-built rental units, including studios through three-bedroom homes, alongside 14,600 square feet of resident-amenity space.

At street level, the podium would incorporate about 4,900 sf of not-for-profit arts-and-culture production space and roughly 8,100 sf of retail and restaurant uses. A central design feature is a mid-block courtyard along Raymur Avenue, conceived as a publicly accessible open space with storefronts, patios, and potential public art.

The proposed development also includes a large childcare facility spanning 10,400 sf, with capacity for up to 110 children, as well as outdoor play areas on a rooftop terrace. Access would be provided via a prominent outdoor staircase and indoor connections from the ground floor.

“The Strathcona redevelopment represents what Telus Living stands for — purpose-built rental housing tailored to the specific needs of the community it serves,” Manasweeta Bhatia, vice-president of real estate and business continuity for Telus, told Daily Hive. “We’ve designed this project with Strathcona’s unique character in mind that includes on-site childcare and a dedicated arts space, recognizing what matters most to residents.”

She added that the homes could help support staff working at the new St. Paul’s Hospital under construction nearby.

“Every Telus Living project is customized this way — we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all housing,” she told Daily Hive. “We listen to communities, understand their needs, and build accordingly, and look forward to engaging further with the community in the coming months as our application goes through the City’s review process.”

The application comes shortly after Vancouver city council rejected the proposed East Village project led by Westbank and partners, which had drawn opposition over its scale, density, and mix of uses. Telus argues its proposal addresses local priorities, particularly the shortage of childcare spaces, while maintaining economic viability.

At the proposed development’s scale, a market-rental project is economically viable and can contribute an alternative public benefit, states the development application.

“The project helps meet Vancouver’s urgent demand for rental supply while strengthening social resilience, without straining existing community services,” the application adds.

The proposed development would total about 367,000 sf with a floor-area ratio of 6.0, and include 279 vehicle parking stalls and 848 bike spaces. The site is located along the Union/Adanac bikeway.

The proposal is among the first major projects to be considered under Vancouver’s newly enacted Official Development Plan, requiring both rezoning and an amendment to the plan, Daily Hive reported. The proposed project also forms part of Telus Living’s broader strategy to deliver more than 4,000 homes across British Columbia through the redevelopment of underutilized assets.

Pictured: Proposed future Telus Living mixed-use apartment development in Vancouver’s Strathcona district.

Rendering: Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership