Investigating a brownfield site in Vancouver for a Passive House social housing development

The City of Vancouver and Non-Market Housing Development & Operation propose to develop a mixed use and mixed income social housing project comprised of 154 residential units and a Community Economic Hub at the brownfield site located at 525 Powell St in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The project’s objective is to provide innovative and environmentally sustainable housing to low-to-moderate income households identified as most in need, including seniors, women-led families, Indigenous Peoples, and families who are capable of living independently without onsite support. The structure will be approximately 9 storeys and will be constructed to the Passive House standard to meet the City’s requirement outlined in the Zero Emissions Building Plan. From the 1900s to the 1990s, the subject site had been used for a variety of industrial uses, including a metal foundry and oil refining facility. Extensive contamination has been identified on the site and portions of it have been remediated. The City of Vancouver purchased the site in 2015 and erected a temporary modular housing structure above grade. Additional environmental investigation is required to delineate contamination beneath and surrounding the site to facilitate permitting the development, determine complete remediation costs, and determine project risks. The City intends to conduct sustainable remediation to reduce carbon emissions during construction. The City is seeking funding for the Detailed Site Investigation, remediation planning, and environmental legal instruments required to support this brownfield redevelopment.