STOREYS reported Monday that Vancouver City Council approved Holborn Group's rezoning application for the Hudson's Bay parkade block, clearing the way for what STOREYS describes as Western Canada's tallest tower. Holborn called it "an exciting moment, and an even more exciting beginning" when announcing the news.
The approval follows a public hearing that opened Thursday, July 23, and reconvened Monday, July 27, at 9:30 a.m., according to the City of Vancouver's rezoning application page cited by STOREYS. Council passed the application in a 7-3 vote along party lines, as reported by Daily Hive and relayed by STOREYS, with opposition from Green Councillor Pete Fry, COPE Councillor Sean Orr, and OneCity Councillor Lucy Maloney.
Construction on the first phase is not expected to begin until around 2030, with design, permitting, and potential NAV Canada aviation-height constraints still to work through, Daily Hive reported and STOREYS noted.
Three towers, one landmark approval
The project spans three sites and would deliver what STOREYS describes as the three tallest towers in Vancouver: a 63-storey North Tower and a 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, according to STOREYS.
- 63-storey North Tower and 79-storey South Tower at 501 W Georgia Street
- 68-storey supertall hotel tower at 595 W Georgia Street with 920 rooms, a conference centre, and a public observation deck
- Separate social housing tower at 388 Abbott Street
- Roughly 1,900 new homes and 920 hotel suites
Addendum consolidates parcels and adjusts density
STOREYS reported that an addendum filed April 7, 2026, consolidates the 501 W Georgia site with 575-595 W Georgia Street and 620-692 Seymour Street, folding in the lane that separated 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 said no changes to height or use were proposed.
That density reduction does not alter the tower heights or uses, which remain as originally proposed, according to the city's addendum cited by STOREYS.
What the approval means for glazing contractors
For Canadian glazing contractors, the vote creates a landmark façade opportunity in downtown Vancouver. A 68-storey hotel tower wrapped largely in glass, paired with two residential towers of 63 and 79 storeys, will require substantial curtain wall, window wall, and storefront work. The hotel component's public observation deck and conference centre will also demand high-performance glazing systems, though STOREYS did not specify performance targets or product types.
Because the project sits in Vancouver, glazing contractors should expect façade packages engineered for the region's seismic and wind conditions. High-rise curtain wall on this scale typically involves unitized systems, structural silicone, and factory-glazed panels, but those details have not been released. The relevant Canadian performance requirements sit in NAFS and CSA A440; contractors will need to demonstrate compliance with those standards for any fenestration products specified.
Canada's fenestration standards provide the baseline. NAFS establishes performance grades for air, water, structural, and forced-entry resistance, while CSA A440 covers windows, doors, and skylights. For a Vancouver supertall, those standards are minimums; project-specific testing for seismic drift and wind load is often required, but STOREYS did not report specified performance grades.
The project's height — 68, 63, and 79 storeys — places it among the tallest glazed structures in Canada once built. STOREYS noted the 68-storey hotel tower would be Western Canada's tallest tower. That scale means the façade package will be one of the largest glazing procurements in British Columbia, though no dollar value or square-metre figure was included in the source material.
For a project of this height, the curtain wall must accommodate building movement, seismic drift, and thermal expansion. Vancouver's seismic environment adds a layer of complexity; glazing contractors will need systems tested for inter-story drift, though the STOREYS report does not provide drift limits or performance thresholds. The public observation deck and conference centre introduce large spans and potential for sloped or structural glass, but the source does not detail those elements.
Timeline and hurdles ahead
Glazing contractors should watch the design and permitting phase closely. Daily Hive, cited by STOREYS, reported construction is not expected until around 2030, with NAV Canada aviation-height constraints still to be resolved. Those constraints can affect tower height and roof details, which in turn influence the curtain wall interface and rooftop glazing scope.
The 7-3 vote split along party lines, with Councillors Fry, Orr, and Maloney opposed, according to Daily Hive and STOREYS. STOREYS did not detail the opposition's specific concerns in the report. The rezoning success does not mean shovels are imminent; the timeline to construction remains several years away, and the first phase is not expected to start until around 2030.
Monitoring the package
For glazing contractors and façade consultants, the next milestone will be the issuance of building permits and the eventual tender of the curtain wall package. The source material does not say when the façade package will be tendered or which firms are involved. However, the scale and complexity of the three-tower development make it a project to monitor for any Canadian glazing professional working in high-rise commercial and residential construction.
While STOREYS did not name a façade consultant or glazing contractor, the scale of the three towers means the eventual tender will likely attract national and international curtain wall specialists. Canadian manufacturers with NAFS-tested product lines and experience in high-rise seismic applications will be positioned to compete if specifications align with domestic supply chains.