Vancouver city council has unanimously approved a plan to convert the Molson Brewery site in the Kitsilano area into a high-density, mixed-use development.

Following a public-hearing process that Daily Hive described as lengthy and controversial, councillors ultimately supported plans to redesignate the nearly eight-acre property from industrial and employment uses to a mixed-use high-rise zoning classsification under Vancouver’s Official Development Plan. Councillors also endorsed changing the site’s regional designation from industrial to general urban, although that change still requires approval from Metro Vancouver’s board, which must approve industrial land-use changes across the region due to limited supply.

Coun. Mike Klassen told Connect that the move is part of a bigger direction that council gave city staff after Mayor Ken Sim brought a motion to have administrators examine industrial lands that could be designated for other uses under what is known as the exceptional-lands clause in Metro Vancouver’s 2025 regional growth strategy. Klassen noted that the Molson lands are near the Squamish Nation’s massive Senakw mixed-use development project.

Once fully built, Senakw will include 11 towers, including nearly 6,100 purpose-built rental homes accommodating approximately 9,000 residents. The project also includes 106,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and 45,000 sf of office space.

Council’s decision on the Molson lands establishes the property’s future land-use direction but does not approve a specific development proposal, Klassen noted. The site will retain its industrial zoning until owner Concord Pacific submits a rezoning application for the project, known as Quantum Park.

According to a June city staff report, the former brewery is no longer compatible with heavy-industrial use due to the site’s proximity to high-density residential use. Staff also noted that the site’s rail connection was removed after the city converted the Arbutus railway corridor into a greenway and the brewery closed in 2019 after Molson relocated its operations to Chilliwack, B.C. Staff contend that the isolated parcel is no longer connected to a broader industrial district due to its proximity to Senakw and the lack of rail access, and could instead accommodate housing, employment space, retail, public amenities and open space.

City staff also said the project should include at least a one-for-one replacement of the brewery’s existing industrial floor area with new employment space that could include light industrial, technology, laboratory, office, retail, hotel and creative-production uses, Staff added that the provision of new employment space is “strongly encouraged.”

The city report indicates that the proposed redevelopment could support many more than the 250 jobs that existed when the brewery shut down in 2019.

The redevelopment is also expected to include a mix of market condominiums, purpose-built rental housing and social housing. City staff said negotiations would target 20% social housing and 10% purpose-built rental housing, with one-quarter of the rental units offered below market rates, although those figures are targets rather than guaranteed requirements.

The new designation allows buildings taller than 26 storeys to be considered, with final height and density to be determined during rezoning. Staff said the project would emphasize transit, walking and cycling while integrating with Senakw.

The proposal drew both support and opposition during the public hearing, Daily Hive reported.. Supporters argued the obsolete industrial property should be redeveloped to provide housing, employment and improved public access to the waterfront, while opponents questioned why council was approving the land-use changes before securing stronger commitments for affordable housing, childcare, schools and other community benefits.

The hearing was also marked by procedural disputes over the use of translators by some speakers, Daily Hive reported.

Pictured: The former Molson Brewery site in Vancouver’s Kitsilano area.

Photo: Concord Pacific