The large anchor retail business on the West 4th Avenue (Fourth) retail strip in Vancouver’s west side Kitsilano neighbourhood is going to be redeveloped.
The Safeway property at the northwest corner of Fourth and Vine Street was sold in 2024 by Sobeys to a partnership of PCI Group and Low Tide Properties for $90 million.
The new owners have submitted a development permit application to redevelop the site. The proposal is based on a design by Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership (MCM).
The Safeway’s surface parking lot takes up most of the 2.2 acre-site. The grocery store itself, which was built in the 1960s and is still operating, is located closer to the rear of the property, which fronts West 3rd Avenue (Third).
Renderings of the proposal were released in November 2024.
Instead of the current parking lot, the redeveloped site will have continuous storefront frontage along Fourth.
The complex reaches a height of up to seven storeys along Fourth and up to 10 storeys along Third
The proposal calls for 385 market-priced residential rental units, plus 10 two-storey townhome units that front the building’s rear along Third.
Also proposed is a new Safeway replacement grocery store and other commercial retail space at grade.
Two levels of underground parking would have 179 residential parking stalls and 168 stalls for other uses, such as retail and car-share.
The project doesn’t need to reply for rezoning, because its design is consistent with the site’s existing zoning. This has enabled the developers to go straight to the development permit application process.
The property is not under the City of Vancouver’s Broadway Plan because it falls just west of Vine, which is the westernmost boundary line of the area plan
Scot Hein, a retired architect and former City of Vancouver senior urban designer, says everyone involved in the Kitsilano project deserves to be congratulated.
“It’ll get rid of a lot of asphalt, the parking lot,” says Hein. “Fourth and Vine is a very important intersection in Kitsilano. The project will give it an urban edge and, at the same time, retains the Safeway grocery. The design is doing all the right things. All the right pieces are there.”
The Kitsilano property is one of three Vancouver Safeway sites that are up for redevelopment.
The other two are on East Broadway, next to the Commercial Street SkyTrain station, and on West 10th Avenue in West Point Grey.
“The 10th Avenue site is not dissimilar from Fourth, but the building as it is designed is a behemoth,” says Hein. “The design is awful and it should be replaced with something more human-scale. Mid-rise buildings can absorb a lot of density. Designers don’t have to automatically default to towers.”
Christina DeMarco, a former City of Vancouver planner and a member of Friends of Point Grey Village, says the volunteer organization canvassed the readers of its newsletter after the renderings of the Kitsilano proposal were released.
Some readers’ comments:
“The West 4th Avenue Kitsilano Safeway site design, esthetics, building height variations, rooftop facilities, public art space, and overall density is hands down better in all aspects than 4545 West 10th Avenue Point Grey Village, and is more closely aligned with Vancouver Plan specifications for villages.”
“This is perplexing and distressing. In the Kits example, the priority in the design seems to have been how can we enhance and respect the character of West 4th Village. They have created a lively street frontage for small shops/restaurants and tucked the boring but essential supermarket in behind. Vancouver Plan policy is the same for both sites and says to preserve low-scale village character with building heights up to 4-6 storeys. Why are the
results so different?”
The Journal of Commerce’s request for an interview with MCM was referred to Rahim Ladha, who leads communications at BGO, which is developing the 10th Avenue site.
“Our team will need to pass on making any public statements at this time, but we will be sure to reach back out a juncture when it would be more appropriate for us to speak.”
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