29-storey hotel tower proposed next to Stanley Park

A 29-storey hotel tower with a rooftop pool is being built on the site of an existing low-rise extended-stay hotel on the edge of Stanley Park in Vancouver’s West End.

The proposal, submitted by Henriquez Partners Architects on behalf of developer Marcon, calls for 65 short-stay rooms and 227 “serviced apartments” at the current site of Rosellen Suites in Stanley Park2030-2038 Barclay St.

According to the City of Vancouver Shape your city website, the zoning application for the project was received on July 31. The application booklet was made public on Monday.

“This application is inconsistent with the policy adopted by the council,” the Shape Your City page reads.

“The City is required to process all submitted rezoning applications and staff’s position on the proposal will be summarized in the referral report later in the application process timeline.”

While the developer’s application acknowledges that the proposal does not necessarily align with the area’s existing zoning or the West End Plan, it also notes that the West End Plan predates the city’s Interim Hotel Development Policy, which aims to tackle the problems a shortage of hotel rooms in the city.

The proposal to replace an existing hotel building “supports the city’s goal of creating more hotel rooms without losing housing,” according to the application booklet.

If approved and built, the new tower would be 100.3 meters tall, with “additional height for rooftop amenities,” the city said.

That’s taller than any other high-rise in the area, although there are several that are older than — and exceed — in the West End’s RM-5B zoning district.

(Marcon / Henriquez Partners Architects)

The developer says the location and height of the proposed hotel will fill a gap in the area’s existing skyline.

“To enhance the urban frame and domed skyline, the tower must exceed the maximum building height, without infringing on the view cone,” the application booklet said.

The hotel proposal replaces a building permit application that Marcon and its architect submitted in 2018 and received approval in 2022.

That proposal would have replaced the Rosellen Suites with “a 10-story residential tower” with “19 suites for families.”

The public is invited to comment on the proposed redevelopment via the page on the Shape Your City website.