ONE BURRARD PLACE BY RELIANCE PROPERTIES & JIM PATTISON GROUP

STAR SERVICES AT ONE BURRARD PLACE
•  Star Chef On Demand | Alex Chen, Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar
From executive chef of the legendary Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel, to his current position as executive Chef at Boulevard at the Sutton Place hotel, Alex Chen’s culinary vision combines family tradition, classic technique and an artful infusion of casual West Coast flair. At Burrard Place, Alex adds his world–renowned culinary skills to the Star Services Team. From menu planning to plating the perfect entrée, Alex will ensure that every dinner achieves superstar status.

•  Butler Concierge | Charles MacPherson, Charles MacPherson & Associates
The lead trainer for the butler department of the Four Seasons Hotel in Shanghai, China, Charles MacPherson is globally recognized as a world authority in the fields of Household Management and Butler Service. With a resume that includes assignments at some of the leading hotel properties in China, India and France, Charles brings over 24 years experience in Household Management to the training and management of the Butler / Concierge staff for Burrard Place Star Services Team.

•  Pastry Chef On Demand | Jackie Kai Ellis, Beaucoup Bakery
A graduate of the École Gastronomique Bellouet Conseil in Paris, France, Jackie Kai Ellis opened Beaucoup Bakery & Café in the winter of 2012. Combining the comforting North American baking of her childhood, her Asian heritage and the delicate art of French pastry making, Jackie’s creations have been rated as the best of Vancouver. For the perfect dessert or a luxurious high tea, Beaucoup Bakery has the answers.

•  Event Planner On Demand | Brittany Wong, Bash + Fete
With a client list of international superstars and celebrities that includes Bono, Taylor Swift and Oprah, Brittany Wong has the experience and expertise to ensure that any event is a sensation. At Burrard Place, this world–class event planner is there for you. From an intimate gathering to a large–scale gala, Brittany will look after every detail, so you can relax and enjoy the party.

•  Fashion Consultant On Demand | Susie Wall
One of Canada’s most respected style experts, Susie Wall is a style ambassador for Nordstrom Vancouver and has worked with some of fashion’s most talked about lines including Smythe, Ted Baker, J. Crew, Rado and London’s PAPER Label. At Burrard Place, Susie’s passion for style is reflected in both the design of the closets and the Private Shopping Salon.

•  DJ On Demand | DJ Leanne, Girl On Wax Entertainment
DJ Leanne and her award–winning team have provided music services for celebrities including, Jennifer Aniston, Goldie Hawn, George Clooney, Scooter Braun & the Vancouver Canucks. They have also worked alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran & Sarah McLachlan. At Club One you can be sure DJ Leanne and her DJ Chameleons will set the right tone for any occasion.

•  Wine Services On Demand | Everything Wine
Featuring over 3000 varieties from around the world, Everything Wine is Vancouver’s premier full–service wine merchant. With a focus on exploring new wine regions, flavours and types, everything wine always has both the collectible classics as well as the latest trend–setting selections. Add a Sommelier from the Star Services Team and you are ready to complete a collection or prepare for a party.

•  Mixologist On Demand | Kevin Brownlee
Winner of Grey Goose Vodka’s 2015 Canadian Pour Masters competition Kevin Brownlee is known for creating exceptional drinks that are the perfect complement for any occasion. Kevin draws inspiration from classic cocktails and adds his own creative twist. Kevin is a Certified Specialist of Spirits and an Associate Director of the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association.

VIA THE VANCOUVER SUN
When Skyfront at Burrard Place breaks ground as expected at the end of next year, the multi-tower development will be the largest project of its kind in downtown Vancouver since the redevelopment of the Woodward’s building completed in Gastown in 2009, the project developers say.

The site situated within Burrard, Hornby and Drake streets will eventually give rise to two residential towers, including one that will stand 54-storeys, making it the third-tallest tower in downtown Vancouver after the Shangri-La and Trump Tower. It would also be the largest real estate project in the Jim Pattison Group stable of assets.

The $500-million mixed-use development, co-developed by the Pattison Group and Reliance Properties Ltd., will include more than 800 residential units, including 87 market rental units, and a third 13-storey office tower with 235,000 sq. ft. of space for rent and for sale.

The Skyfront project comes amid a frenzy of downtown tower construction that is transforming the Vancouver skyline, including several towers with roughly 2.2 million sq. ft. of new office space that has real estate experts scratching their heads about whether there will be enough commercial tenants to fill the space.

But Jon Stovell, of Reliance Properties, says the project’s residential component is the driving vision, and he thinks Skyfront will emerge as demand for homes in Vancouver remains at an all-world premium.

The towers will stand out at that location, he noted. “That height is very uncharacteristic for that part of the city,” he said. “The big towers like Shangri-La and Trump are in the downtown core amid all the other tall buildings.”

Michael Lee, vice-president of Jim Pattison Developments, echoed that the plethora of new large-scale downtown builds isn’t a deterrent.

“Whether it’s today or tomorrow, we don’t see that demand really changing, maybe other than just continuing to increase,” Lee said. “So right now we just think it’s the right time.”

He said the Pattison Group would retain the Toyota car dealership that stood at the intersection of Burrard and Drake streets for 42 years. “It will be three levels above grade and up to five levels below grade,” he said.

The space is ripe for a major upgrade, Lee said. “Our location, with the car dealership and the surface lot, was probably the worst asset in the neighbourhood so we think there is tremendous opportunity to help upgrade the area.”

Stovell said Burrard Place represents one of only six build sites approved by city planners that will be permitted to accommodate towers that tall. “These buildings were meant to have major architectural contributions to the city skyline, [and] have very high sustainability requirements in terms of their environmental footprint.”

The project, which launched in 2009, has now completed the rezoning process and on Monday received the required development permit from the city to move forward.

“This is probably the largest project in the downtown right now,” Stovell said. “It’s just around a million square feet and also the third-tallest building in the city after Shangri-La and Trump, at 540 feet.”

He said Skyfront rivals the Woodward’s redevelopment in magnitude, potential occupancy mix, and its expected effect on a neighbourhood.

Skyfront would rise about 30 stories higher than any of the buildings that surround it and would include an integrated mix of uses, including a grocery store, and community amenity contributions worth about $16 million. “To see a building like that in the south shore is really going to be a catalyst to a huge amount of change in that area,” Stovell said.

The latest steps for Burrard Place also come amid the decision in recent weeks to shutter and re-locate the nearby aging St. Paul’s hospital to a vacant plot of land near Main Street and Terminal Avenue — which could usher in even more high-density development along the south end of Burrard Street.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen there,” Stovell said of the current St. Paul’s location. “It’s going to take some time but it’s still a very interesting outcome.”

Stovell said the current explosion of available downtown office space wouldn’t deter their vision or strategy.

“We have a very large office portfolio already in our company,” he said, noting that the leasable office component is relatively small at about 136,000 sq. ft. of the total office component. “We are able to move our tenants through our portfolio as we grow and offer them the ability to give up a lease in an old building of ours and move into a larger space.”

He said pre-leasing wouldn’t begin until construction starts, which is expected to be in January 2016.

VIA CHANGING CITY UPDATES
We first posted this project nearly four years ago. The project was rezoned in 2014, and now the final design for the first tower has been past the Urban Design Panel. The project has a revised name – it used to be Burrard Gateway.

There will be two residential towers, office and retail on the Downtown Toyota site. A high building review was held for a 525 foot tower, and now the scheme has been further refined. the Urban Design Panel have already reviewed and supported the previous design.

In April 2011 the first version of the tower failed to show “architectural creativity and excellence, while making a significant contribution to the beauty and visual power of the city’s skyline”. A revised version got a more positive reception, and now we can see what the latest model for the scheme looks like. Overall there are over 800 units, mostly condo but also 87 rental units. Only the taller 54 storey tower is proposed in the first phase, with a grid design on one corner slightly reminiscent of the Bjark Ingles designed tower proposed not too far away on Howe Street

The biggest change to the project was to the office component. While IBI/HB have designed the residential towers, Bing Thom Architects totally redesigned the Burrard Street office building. It incorporates the 3-storey Toyota dealership into an extraordinarily curved and twisted office tower that will, when it gets built, be one of the most exciting building seen in the city in years.

The office should be going forward soon, and recent renders don’t show any significant difference. The second tower may change more, as it included a ‘busy’ screen elements that seem to no longer feature on the first tower (where they were a far less prominent part of the design in the first place). Apparently a third residential tower might be in the works as well, as Reliance Properties are said to have secured the 7-11 building at the northern end of the Hornby Street block and have indicated they want to build a tower of (very) micro suites.