The Ultimate Vancouver Rumour Thread!

[officedweller]

Heritage Vancouver on the Sinclair Centre:

Sinclair Centre

May 17, 2018 | 2018 |

The Sinclair Centre returns to the Top 10 list for 2018, as this historic complex remains half-empty and deteriorating.

The federal government appears to remain interested in the relocation of their Vancouver offices and staff into one hub, and has been exploring site options, including an intensification of Sinclair Centre, also known as ‘Block 15’, which is bordered by Hastings, Granville, Howe, and Cordova Streets.
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Threat

In 2015 Vancouver City Council voted to allow Public Works & Government Services Canada, which manage Sinclair Centre, to submit a rezoning proposal to increase the maximum density from a floor space ratio (FAR) of 5:1 up to 17:1 or 20:1 FAR. Height would be increased to a total of 29 storeys, or 22 storeys on top of the existing complex.

This increased height of up to 29 storeys would meet the City’s policy for the retention of view corridors, but it is contrary to the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada. These provide direction for building additions to be ‘compatible, subordinate and distinguishable’ from the historic site, but the scale of this proposed tower would be enormous in relation to existing height and would radically change the heritage character of the four buildings. Seismic upgrades and the structure required to hold the weight of the tower would also result in the removal of portions of the historic structures and even the potential loss of one or two heritage buildings in entirety.

Despite the fact that Sinclair Centre has been designated with various levels of heritage status, the site is still at risk, because senior government is not required to comply with municipal policies and could add the tower without City approval. Notably, the federal government does not need to conform to the City’s policies regarding height and view cones.

http://heritagevancouver.org/top10-watch-list/2018/7-sinclair-centre/