Vancouver City Council voted Monday to approve Holborn Group's rezoning application for the Hudson's Bay parkade block redevelopment — clearing the way for what would be Western Canada's tallest tower.
Holborn called it "an exciting moment, and an even more exciting beginning" when announcing the news.
STOREYS covered Holborn's plans for the site last September: a three-tower project at 501 and 595 W Georgia Street, anchored by a 68-storey supertall hotel tower with a public observation deck, alongside a 63-storey and a 79-storey residential tower.
The public hearing for the rezoning opened Thursday, July 23, and reconvened Monday, July 27, at 9:30 am after running out of time in the first session, according to the City of Vancouver's rezoning application page. The page also flags changes since the original application: an addendum filed April 7, 2026.
That addendum consolidates the 501 W Georgia site with 575-595 W Georgia Street and 620-692 Seymour Street, folding in the lane that used to separate the two parcels. Density for the consolidated site now sits at 27.4 FSR, down from the 31.29 FSR in the original application. The addendum also proposes a monetary community amenity contribution.
The city says no changes to height or use were proposed.
holborn.ca
As reported by Daily Hive, Council passed the application in a 7-3 vote along party lines, with opposition from Green Councillor Pete Fry, COPE Councillor Sean Orr, and OneCity Councillor Lucy Maloney. Daily Hive also reported that construction on the first phase isn't expected to begin until around 2030, with design, permitting, and potential NAV Canada aviation-height constraints still to work through.
Per the city's addendum, the project's heights and uses remain as originally proposed. Altogether, the project spans three sites and would deliver the three tallest towers in Vancouver: a 63-storey North Tower and 79-storey South Tower at 501 W Georgia Street, and a 68-storey supertall hotel tower at 595 W Georgia Street with 920 rooms, a conference centre, and a public observation deck. A separate social housing tower is planned for 388 Abbott Street.
Combined, the towers would bring roughly 1,900 new homes, 920 hotel suites, and significant public amenity space to downtown Vancouver.
