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The Story of Woodward's
The
Woodward's Department Store was first established at the corner of Hastings
and Abbott in 1903, and grew to occupy half the block bounded by Hastings,
Abbott, Cordova, and Cambie streets. For many decades, Woodward's was
one of Vancouver's primary retail destinations: anchoring the retail
along Hastings and providing its low and modest income neighbours with
a food
floor and other household necessities. It became known city-wide for
its Christmas displays and the neon “W” on the roof.
Woodward's was designated a heritage building in November 1996. In 1996, then Premier Harcourt announced the Province would fund 200 co-operative housing units in the building. As part of a Woodward's partnership, the City of Vancouver agreed to develop, with VanCity, a 50-unit project for street youth at 326 West Pender which opened in 1999. Fama and the Province were unable to conclude their negotiations, and the Province re-allocated the Woodward's Co-op funding to the Lore Krill Co-op. (That housing co-op recently completed two buildings with a total of 203 units at 65 West Cordova and 239 East Georgia.) Fama submitted a revised Development Application for 417 condominium units and 190,000 sq. ft. of commercial and retail space. This revised proposal was approved by the City’s Development Permit Board in October 1997. The project remained moribund for the next few years. Several developers explored the opportunity but none were able to develop a viable option. In March 2001, the Province purchased the building from Fama Holdings for $22 million, with the intent of developing a 200+ unit co-operative (100+ units for core-need households), a home for SFU's School for Contemporary Arts, and approximately 200,000 sq. ft. of commercial space. However, the Province was unable to find a partner for the commercial component, and in early 2002, the new Provincial government put the project on hold. Madison Bellevue Apartments Corporation optioned the Woodward's building from the Province for $18 million in the summer of 2002. Madison Bellevue proposed to develop the project under the terms of the 1997 development permit: 417 residential units and 190,000 sq. ft. of commercial and retail space (565,000 sq. ft. of total floor area), with parking provided in the City-owned garage across Cordova Street. Madison Bellevue proposed to respect the heritage designation and to operate the residential units in the building as rental. Meanwhile, a number of homeless people and community groups occupied the building in September 2002, demanding more social housing. They later formed a tent city on the sidewalk around the perimeter of Woodward's. The protest became known as the Woodward's Squat. Madison Bellevue's proposal proved not to be feasible, and they were not able to secure the financing for the project. Their option expired in late November 2002. In December 2002, the City of Vancouver found alternative, temporary accommodation for most of the Woodward's squatters. The City of Vancouver rented 53 rooms from the Dominion Hotel at 210 Abbott Street for a four-month period. Roughly 58 people found housing at the hotel, while another 25 people were placed in other hotels or in shelter beds. Funding for the short-term lease with the Dominion Hotel came from the City's Affordable Housing Fund and was supplemented by federal funding. In March 2003, the City of Vancouver purchased the Woodward's building from the Province for roughly $5 million. The City believed it was in the best position to find a workable solution to the future of the site: a solution that could take into account the various and sometimes competing needs of the broader community. View the guiding principles for the project. On May 22, 2003, the City relit
the neon "W" sign on top of the Woodward's building, symbolizing a new
beginning for the site. The City also began
its consultation process in May 2003. Through workshops, an Ideas Fair,
open houses and meetings, the City is attempting to involve the community
and other Vancouver residents in designing and planning the redevelopment
of the building in a way that is socially, environmentally and economically
sustainable. In November 2003, the City of Vancouver celebrated the opening of the "W" Room Presentation Centre. The "W" Room will be used for community events and for providing updated information on the status of the Woodward's redevelopment project.
In September 2004, City Council chose Westbank Projects/Peterson Investment Group (Henriquez Partners, architects) as the developer for the Woodward's project. Learn more about the proposal and In January 2005, City Council selected the PHS Community Services Society to sponsor the development of 125 units of housing for low-income singles, and the Affordable Housing Society to sponsor the development of 75 units of housing for low and modest income families at Woodward's. Read the news release. In March 2005, the City of Vancouver and Simon Fraser University announced that the university's School for the Contemporary Arts will relocate to the historic Woodward's site as part of the redevelopment project. On April 22, 2006, the residential market units in the Woodward's development went on sale. All 536 units were sold by April 23, representing over $200 million in sales. On June 23, 2006, the "W" sign was removed by crane from the top of the Woodward's building to prepare the site for construction. On September 17, 2006, bricks from the Woodward's building went on sale to help support BladeRunners, a special program that offers employment and training opportunities for homeless youth. City Council approved the appointment of Henriquez Partners to complete the design contract for the Woodward’s Child Care on September 26, 2006. On September 30, 2006, GVTV cameras were rolling as buildings on the Woodward's site were demolished. See the demolition from various angles using the links below (requires Windows Media Player).
On January 26, 2007 the City issued the Development Permit for the Woodward’s site.
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Comments or questions? Send us e-mail at woodwards@vancouver.ca © 2007, City of Vancouver, Real Estate Services |
Woodward's closed its Hastings Street store in 1993 and in early 1995
the property was sold to Fama Holdings (Fama). In June 1995, the City’s
Development Permit Board approved Fama's preliminary application to develop
a mixed-use project consisting of condominium units and commercial and
retail space, subject to conditions. The residential square footage of
the proposal exceeded what was permitted under the zoning, and Fama agreed
to designate Woodward’s a heritage “C” listed building
in return for a relaxation of the residential floor space regulation.
However, the project generated substantial opposition among the low-income
community because it did not include any social housing.
On
October 22, 2002, City Council approved, in principle, a heritage bonus of
100,000 sq. ft. and a 10-year exemption for any increase in property taxes.
The property tax exemption would save the developer $8.4 million in property
taxes over 10 years. In exchange for the bonus density and tax exemption, Madison
Bellevue was to enter into a Heritage Revitalization Agreement requiring the
building's heritage value to be maintained, and into a Housing Agreement. This
latter agreement required the developer to apply for 200 units of Residential
Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP) funding. It also required that the
residential units be operated as rental for at least 15 years, and that at
least 100 of the units be made available for rent supplements to accommodate
deep-core need households.
In July 2004,
the City unveiled three design submissions for the future of the landmark Woodward's building.