When Vancouver-based developer Pinnacle International received approval for Phase One of their Pinnacle Lougheed project in Burnaby in September 2024, the 73-storey tower and 80-storey tower were already set to be some of the tallest towers in British Columbia and Western Canada. They are now set to go even higher.
At 3900 Grand Promenade, 9850 Austin Road, and 9858-9898 Gatineau Place immediately south of the SHAPE Properties’ City of Lougheed master-planned community, Pinnacle International had proposed a 73-storey tower and 80-storey tower with a grand total of 1,466 strata units, 515,097 sq. ft of office space, and 13,304 sq. ft of retail space, as part of Phase One of Pinnacle Lougheed.
After Burnaby City Council approved that proposal in September 2024, Pinnacle returned in December 2024 seeking to replace 11 storeys of office space with more condos and Council ultimately approved the proposal in May 2025.
However, Pinnacle has since amended their amendment, and is now seeking to add (to the original proposal) 362 strata units, and replace some of the planned office space with hotel and restaurant space. The proposal is now for a 77-storey tower and 87-storey tower with a grand total of 1,828 strata units, 171 hotel suites, 9,761 sq. ft of office space, 10,617 sq. ft of restaurant space, and 3,199 sq. ft of retail space.
The 77-storey Tower 1A would house zero studio units, 596 one-bedroom units, 227 two-bedroom units, and 72 three-bedroom units, for a total of 895 units. The 87-storey Tower 1B would then house zero studio units, 622 one-bedroom units, 234 two-bedroom units, and 77 three-bedroom units, for a total of 933 units.
The two towers would reach 797 ft and 863 ft, which would be the two tallest buildings in Burnaby. At one point in time a few years ago, the two towers were set to become the tallest towers in British Columbia and Western Canada, but they have since been eclipsed by an 889-ft tower and 1,034-ft tower proposed in downtown Vancouver by Holborn Group.
An overview of Phase One of Pinnacle Lougheed. (JYOM Architecture, Pinnacle International)
According to a planning report, restaurant space is planned for both the ground level and the 86th floor of Tower 1B and the additional residential units will also bring additional amenity space, some of which will be located on the 86th and 87th floor of Tower 1B. Phase One would include a total of 1,479 vehicle parking stalls and 3,681 bicycle parking stalls.
Pinnacle has yet to submit rezoning applications for Phase Two and Phase Three, but has outlined some preliminary details. Phase Two, located immediately west of Phase One, would be a 66-storey tower with 625 units; while Phase Three, located immediately south of Phase One, would be a 56-storey tower with 518 units, bringing the total amount of units for the entire Pinnacle Lougheed project to 2,971 units.
The previous proposal for 3846 Carrigan Court. (Bingham+Hill Architects, Pinnacle International)
The Pinnacle Lougheed project is closely tied to a project being planned by Pinnacle International at 3846 Carrigan Court, a site a few blocks west that’s currently occupied by a 141-unit rental complex called the Carrigan Place Apartments.
Under City policy, Pinnacle is obligated to provide inclusionary rental units as part of the Pinnacle Lougheed project, inclusionary rental units as part of the Carrigan Court project, and replacement rental units for the Carrigan Place Apartments.
Rather than providing the required units for the respective projects at the respective sites, Pinnacle proposed providing all of the rental units at the Carrigan Court site, and proposed three towers between the heights of 23 and 33 storeys, with a grand total of 900 units, split between 354 strata units and 546 below-market rental units, as previously reported by STOREYS.
Pinnacle has now submitted a revised application for the Carrigan Court site and said they want to only transfer the inclusionary rental requirement for Phase One of Pinnacle Lougheed to Carrigan Court, rather than all three phases, meaning Phase Two and/or Phase Three of Pinnacle Lougheed will likely have a rental component and Carrigan Court will have less rental than previously proposed.
Under the revised proposal, according to a planning report, the Carrigan Court will now have one 30-storey tower and three 40-storey towers with a grand total of 1,133 strata units, 300 non-market inclusionary rental units, and the 141 non-market replacement rental units. The new proposal also includes just under 4,200 sq. ft of retail space, which was not a component of the original proposal.
The two Pinnacle sites (left) and the revised proposal for 3846 Carrigan Court (right).
According to the planning report, Pinnacle has currently indicated interest in pursuing strata development, but could opt for strata with market rental later on. As was the case with the original proposal, Council is requiring that Pinnacle achieve occupancy on the inclusionary units at Carrigan Court prior to or concurrently with Phase One of Pinnacle Lougheed achieving occupancy.
The revised rezoning application for Phase One of Pinnacle Lougheed is set to be considered for a first and second reading by Burnaby City Council on Tuesday, April 28, and the revised rezoning application for Carrigan Court will follow suit at a future council meeting.
