West End apartment building still empty seven years after a fire

Good morning, 

Nate with you today. We’re working on some big stories here at the Lookout but the top news item in my world the last two days has been wasps… or bees maybe… because one of those suckers stung me good! Having your leg balloon up like an overboiled hot dog sure is a great way to throw a wrench into a busy week. 

That said, I’m so thankful to the paramedics and urgent care staff who efficiently checked me over and sent me on my way to get all the allergy medication Vancouver has to offer. They even took the opportunity to poke me a little more, pointing out the irony of the bee tattoo I have on the same leg that was stung. 

The only thing I can do now is carry on, hobbled and humbled, as I wait to deflate. 

To wit, we’ve got a couple of stories about housing and development for you today — plus all the other recommendations, shows, and timely news our team tirelessly pulls together. 

Let’s get to it!

— Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout 

As always, you can send your tips, leads, and story ideas to Nate at [email protected].

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free. 

WEATHER

Wednesday: 19 🌡️ 13 | 🌧️

Thursday: 18 🌡️ 12 | 🌤️

Friday: 19 🌡️ 13 | 🌤️

THE LOOKOUT RECOMMENDS

Pop up to the pop-up: While this is over in West Vancouver, I feel confident that it’s worth the drive. My friend and I finished up a run through Cypress and ended up at the Cypress Village Lookout (not related to Vancity Lookout) at 3850 Cypress Bowl Rd. I have to say, it’s one of the better views in the city, and a great spot to grab a drink. I do not endorse the pizza, but the drinks? Heck yeah. 

ICYMI: One of my favourite stories this summer was Nate’s profile on a small non-profit, community-led group helping restore a neighbourhood trail in their backyard. My favourite part was the surprising (and fortuitous) package they found while clearing invasives near the trail. Read the story to find out!

My favourite bubble tea: It’s the Bubble Tea Festival over at Swanguard Stadium this weekend. I’m not sure how anyone can have more than one bubble tea a day, but good luck to everyone participating. My personal favourites in Vancouver are Boba Run on East Hastings and Sweet7 in the West End, the latter which does some excellent mango drinks. 

— Recommendations by Lookout managing editor Geoff Sharpe

HOUSING

West End apartment building still empty seven years after a fire

By Jake McGrail for the West End Journal. Read this story online here.

For just about seven years now, the Washington Court apartment building has stood empty at the corner of Thurlow and Nelson, after a fire damaged the structure and forced out more than 80 tenants in 2018. Those tenants had access to some emergency social services in the immediate aftermath of the fire but those quickly ran out, CBC reported at the time. 

That same article quoted the then-building manager who said it would take about a year — give or take a few months — for the building to be ready to accept new tenants. That timeline didn’t quite pan out. 

The primary issue, as it turned out, was that while the building owner – a group called Lucky ZA Investments, owned by Linlin Zhang – aimed to do a simple repair job to get the 44 homes back on the market, a consultation with the city led to a much longer list of upgrades that needed to be done inside the over 100-year-old building, including seismic upgrades and changes to safety systems.

That’s all according to architect Alan Endall, from an interview with Storeys five years after the fire. In 2023, Stantec Architecture, with Endall as project lead, submitted an application to restore the apartments and turn Washington Court from a five-storey building to an eight-storey one, proposing to nearly double the total number of homes from 44 up to 80, in part by shrinking the unit sizes. 

Endall described the task as a total rebuild of the interior, while keeping the exterior the same. That second part is important because Washington Court is a heritage building, meaning it can’t be totally torn down and replaced with a wholly different structure. 

The building definitely deserves its heritage status, as it was built all the way back in 1910. At the time, it was one of the tallest apartment buildings in the West End, although today it’s dwarfed by the decidedly newer towers in its immediate vicinity. 

The 2018 fire was not the first at Washington Court. Back in 1966 a blaze destroyed the then-sixth floor of the building, which was removed entirely in the aftermath. Unlike the ‘60s, however, this decade has yet to see anyone actually live in the building.

The 2023 development application certainly carried some optimism with it. After a long back-and-forth process of refining the design, a permit was issued by the city in January of this year. But now it’s unclear whether there’s a plan in place to actually follow through with said plan.

Zhang, the owner, and their company Lucky ZA Investments have very little information about their organization available publicly, and seem to have no website or social media to speak of. Stantec Architecture doesn’t have any mention of Washington Court on its own site, and Alan Endall (seemingly the last person from the developers’ side who publicly commented on the project) doesn’t appear to work for the company anymore.

Stantec’s Vancouver office did not respond to Vancity Lookout’s request for comment.

None of that is very promising for tangible progress being made towards getting tenants into the historic building once again. Until then, Washington Court will remain fenced off and standing empty.

This article originally ran in the August issue of the West End Journal. Thanks to author Jake McGrail, photographer Ewan Streit, and editor Kevin Dale McKeown for allowing Vancity Lookout to use their work. 

THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

150,000

That’s how many doses of meth Canada Border Services Agency says it seized from one traveller’s suitcases at YVR last month. 29 kilograms of meth were hidden in gift-wrapped packages in the luggage of a Hong Kong-bound traveller, who has since been charged with several drug possession and trafficking-related charges. Read more. [CBC]

THE AGENDA

🚣 It’s looking less likely that the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival will take place next year, due to a scheduling conflict with the FIFA World Cup. The city’s agreement with FIFA does not allow for non-FIFA-affiliated cultural or sporting events to take place during the World Cup or near World Cup events, leaving festival organizers scrambling to present alternative plans to municipal and provincial officials. Read more. [CBC]

🚓 A man was arrested for allegedly committing two separate unprovoked attacks on strangers over the weekend. Read more. [CTV]

📍 The eastbound on-ramp to Highway 1 from East 1st Avenue will be closed until Aug. 25, 2025, to allow the City to complete upgrades on East 1st Ave. To access Highway 1 eastbound, drivers can use East Hastings or Grandview Highway and should expect delays. Read more. [B.C. Government] 

👮 The VPD says it will extend Task Force Barrage beyond its six-month mandate. The task force, which aims to address violent crime, gang activity, and drug use in the Downtown Eastside, was responsible for the seizure of 1,145 weapons, 740 arrests, and 492 potential charges in its first five months, according to the VPD. While many local workers and residents report feeling safer, business organizations and community leaders say more needs to be done, especially around providing mental health and addiction supports alongside policing efforts. Read more. [Global News]

🎥 Parking enforcement officers will be participating in a pilot of body-worn cameras in an effort to improve their physical and psychological safety, according to the city. The study will attempt to determine if body-worn cameras deter abuse and violence towards the officers. The city says camera footage will not be used for parking enforcement. Read more. [City of Vancouver]

HOME OF THE WEEK

Since one of our stories today is about the West End, we thought we’d feature a home there.

And it doesn’t get much nicer than this. It’s got three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and views to the west and north, plus lots of natural light throughout the place. Two parking spots, pets allowed, and in a great location — what's not to like?

Probably the price… which, being nearly a penthouse, isn’t cheap.

DEVELOPMENT

A new Olympic Village? Some industrial sites could be opened up to new development

Read this story online here.

What happened: Big changes could be coming to some prominent parts of Vancouver, as city staff look at how a handful of “exceptional” sites, including two industrial neighbourhoods, could be opened up to allow more types of use, including housing. 

• Councillors unanimously passed the motion, brought forward by Mayor Ken Sim, just before council went on its summer break. 

Vancouver has seven industrial areas, most of which are clustered in East Van north of 12th Avenue. Broadly, the city’s intent behind zoning in these areas is to protect land for employment use. 

Neighbourhood details: The specific sites up for review are the former Molson Brewery in Kits, a few blocks of city-owned land by Main Street and Terminal Avenue, and a car dealership just south of Marine Gateway near Marpole. 

The two larger areas that will be looked at for zoning changes are the Railtown District near the Downtown Eastside and Brewery Creek in Mount Pleasant. 

• Sim acknowledged that what his motion defined as “exceptional” sites was subjective.

However, somewhere like the old Molson Brewery does seem to fit the bill. Sitting dormant since 2019, the site occupies a large, prominent space in the centre of town, located directly next to Sen̓áḵw, a major new planned community that’s currently being built. 

Brewery Creek, or the Mount Pleasant Industrial Area, is less obviously in need of change. The area – bordered by Quebec and Yukon streets to the east and west and 2nd Avenue, and Broadway to the north and south – has become a thriving spot for craft breweries, restaurants, venues, businesses, and increasingly, big new office developments. It’s a part of town that’s usually buzzing with people who are attracted to the area from near and far. 

All about transit: For the Marine Gateway and Main and Terminal sites, the allure of land use changes is directly tied to the nearby train stations at both locations. Sim noted that both spots are mixed-use areas with employment potential served by rapid transit. 

• Having housing in currently industrial-only areas allows people to work closer to where they live, Sim argued, specifically drawing on the need for nearby housing to attract healthcare workers for the new St. Paul’s Hospital. 

Past policy shifts: It wouldn’t be the first time that shifting land use priorities in Vancouver have changed industrial areas into bustling residential neighbourhoods. 

Councillor Peter Meiszner pointed out that places around False Creek, like False Creek South, Olympic Village, and Yaletown, were formerly industrial areas that have evolved into new neighbourhoods over the past 50 years. 

Sim said the intent of getting staff to research possible zoning changes at these sites and areas is not about getting rid of industrial uses, but allowing for a mix, including housing, cultural spaces, and community amenities. 

Staff who review development and project proposals may be in favour of certain redevelopments but “have their hands tied” by “rigid restrictions” imposed by the city’s industrial land use policies, Sim argued. About 6 per cent of land in Vancouver is zoned as industrial, according to a Metro Vancouver survey in 2020. 

• What’s next: Staff are expected to report back with their analysis of the exceptional sites by the end of October. 

VANCOUVER ARTS GUIDE

Performance + Art

The new Legally Blonde musical at Theatre Under the Stars is getting great reviews, saying the show has “infectious song-and-dance numbers”. It’s on until Aug. 16. Tickets $35+

The Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts starts this weekend, with numerous theatre, music, and dance shows exploring South Asian culture. 

Everyone’s favourite Canadian improv star Colin Mochrie (and friends) are performing two nights at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, Friday and Saturday of this week. Tickets $95. 

Those who like transportation (we’re all raising our hands here at the Lookout) will enjoy this feature exhibit at the Museum of North Vancouver. On until Mar. 1, Are We There Yet? The Sustainable Transportation Journey features photos and transportation objects exploring the idea of getting around. Admission $14. 

Music

Pleasant Day Festival, taking place this Saturday from noon to 8 pm, has just announced its music lineup, featuring 27 acts across four outdoor stages! See them live, and best of all, free! More info. 

There are several shows coming up this week, including Nickelback, Ryan Castro, Satin Jackets, Flight Facilities and Good Country. 

Movies

Cinematheque has a number of ongoing series, including one exploring noir films, and two crime movies from acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.

The Rio has a space-focused lineup this weekend, including Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Fantastic Planet.

Submit your event and it could appear here and reach 20,000+ Vancouver locals.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Mo-Ment, a “crispy burger specialist shop” has opened on Granville, in the unit formerly occupied by Grill Master, serving Chinese-style burgers, noodle bowls, and skewers. [Noms Magazine]

• If you like pasta, then this Summer Like an Italian event is for you. [Straight]

• The African Descent Festival will take place this Saturday and Sunday at English Bay Beach. [African Descent Festival]

• The Canucks signed restricted free agent Vitali Kravtsov to a one-year deal. [VIA]

• A mysterious sabotage remains unsolved five years later. [CBC]

GAME TIME

The sound I’ll be hearing in my nightmares forever more. Can you work out what it is?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Have you seen the line at Kits Pool these days?