Despite considerable efforts to prevent the controversial 105 Keefer Street project, the overall Chinatown area continues to change. Multiple projects have been approved, several are currently under construction, and a few have been completed in the last few years. Located just 200 metres from 105 Keefer, 239 Keefer Street has just been approved by City of Vancouver's Development Permit Board. The building is being developed by Rendition Developments, with design by Mallen Gowing Berzins Architecture Inc., and landscape design by Considered Design Inc.

239 Keefer Street facade, image via MGBA Architecture

The eight-storey mixed-use building will replace a vacant, one-storey storefront. It will contain retail on the ground floor, two office units (each with a landscaped outdoor patio) on the second and third floors, and 25 market units (19 one-bedroom and six two-bedroom units) on floors four to eight. There will be 31 car parking spaces, including car share stalls, and 43 bike parking spaces, on two underground levels. The building is also within walking distance of several bus routes and Main Street-Science World Skytrain station.

239 Keefer Street, image via MGBA Architecture

Communal spaces will include two patio gardens on the fourth and seventh floors with communal play space and urban agriculture options. Garden design will reference the motif of the nearby Sun Yat Sen Garden. The building itself will also reflect Chinatown's "balcony-style" structure constructed in the first quarter of the 20th century, and will include ornamental and shading screens. Public sidewalks will also be widened and ground-level retail units will also include retractable cloth awnings.  

Current condition of 239 Keefer Street, image by Alissa Reed

Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.