17-storey office tower and entertainment pavilion planned beside BC Place

Photo: Contributed

Vancouver's BC Place stadium is about to get cozy with 17 new storeys of office space, and another six for arts and entertainment.

Westbank Corporation is proposing a major redevelopment outside stadium gates A and B, facing Georgia Street, and an adjacent industrial site.

Atop both redevelopments, there will be a terrace with greenspace, with enough room for a running track on top of the upgraded steam plant building – which itself delivers hot water and heating to more than 200 buildings in the downtown peninsula.

The ground floor of the new office tower will be bolstered with a five-metre passageway to provide pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists a connection to four new levels of underground parking and a connection to Expo Boulevard and Beatty Street.

The adjacent entertainment pavilion will provide 30,236 square feet of commercial space with a karaoke spot, virtual reality sports hub, sports bar, and brewery already in the plans.

Initial construction of the now-approved project – which is estimated to generate approximately 2,000 off-site and on-site jobs – is being financed by Allied Properties Real Investment Trust for $185 million.

“The project will not only contribute to increasing job space and to advancing the city’s economic development objectives but also help to achieve the regional entertainment district envisioned under the Northeast False Creek Plan,” city staff detailed in a report to council.

The rezoning will generate nearly $13 million in development cost levies, $4.7-million in community amenities, and more than $1 million in public art for the municipality.