GROUND BROKEN FOR NEW CONDO TOWER

by Jake MacGrail
(click on images to enlarge)

In a time where it seems like the majority of property development headlines in Vancouver have to do with delays or projects failing to get off the ground entirely, this time there is some new construction to report on in the West End.

It’s happening on a site at the south-west corner of Alberni and Denman Street. Vancouver-based developer Landa Global is building a 21-storey tower at 1818 Alberni. The tower will house “luxury” condos, while social housing units and commercial real estate space will be located within the three storey podium of the building. The plans for this project were first submitted to the city back in 2018, so it’s certainly been a long time coming for the July 2024 ground breaking.

While the site doesn’t look to be anything notable at the moment (as it currently consists of rubble), the plans for the final building are certainly unique. The concept art for the project has been described as “Jenga-like,” in that some floors of the building stick out further than others, giving the exterior an uneven look on a couple of sides.

There are also to be two distinct towers rising up side-by-side, both sitting on a single podium base (wherein lies the thousands of square feet of commercial real estate).

The majority of the strata condos will be two-bedroom units, although there will be some three-bedroom units as well. The latter can be fairly spacious, ranging from around 2,400 to 2,700 square feet in the middle floors (and likely decidedly more at the very top). The two-bedroom units on the middle floors are around half the size of the three-bedrooms.

**the future of the south-west corner of Denman and Alberni.**

One odd note is that there seems to be a bit of discrepancy in terms of exactly how many units are going to be in the building. The original development plan (see related links below) and some third-party state there being 36 strata units and 24 rental units. However, both the Landa Global website and at least one local news story refer to there being plans for 54 “luxury residences”. Regardless of exactly how many units might be squeezed in there, the height of the building has remained consistent at 21 storeys in all reporting.

The developers certainly appear to want to emphasize the “luxury” aspect of luxury condos. Previous reporting from the Daily Hive lists keyless entries, concierge access, and available services like car washes, private chefs and pet grooming as planned features for the project, at least for the strata units. It’s unclear whether those in the rental units would have access to all of the same perks.

There is not yet an estimated completion date for the project on the Landa Global website, nor are there detailed listings of what kind of price ranges to expect for the strata units. Third-party sites like Condo in Vancouver have a small number of example listings that range from around $2 million to $5 million.

Landa Global did not respond to TWEJ’s request for comment on a potential completion date or price ranges.

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