Offices, apartments eyed for east end of Waterfront Vancouver development

Initial plans released for the Waterfront Vancouver’s Blocks One and Two along the city’s waterfront show the areas may soon be home to a 10-story office building and four luxury apartment towers planned to hold 200 units, according to project plans submitted to the city of Vancouver.

Block Two sits at the east end of the Waterfront Vancouver project, along the Columbia River and on the east side Esther Street. Block One is directly behind the other parcel, also on the edge of Terminal 1 and on the east side of Esther Street.

The office building, which was proposed along with the residential buildings by DLR Group from Seattle, would total 330,440 square feet, including 12,540 square feet of ground-floor retail space, 141,692 square feet of parking and 176,208 square feet of office space. The pre-application documents show the building is designed to have a dark steel exterior and include a terrace. The plans would require a regulatory exemption because the proposed top two floors of the structure exceed local regulations.

Sitting closer to the river, Block Two will hold four residential buildings, which would be five stories tall, seven stories tall, nine stories tall and 12 stories tall. The buildings are planned to be 315,470 square feet overall, with 192,330 square feet of residential space.

Plans include 13,314 square feet of ground-floor retail space, which will likely contribute to the bustling food and drink scene at the waterfront. They also feature 99,800 square feet of parking.