Great Northern Way Campus and Area Updates

[jollyburger]

Just noticed Avison Young featured that VCC redevelopment planning work that was posted on here a year (?) ago

Video Link

In the heart of Vancouver’s urban Broadway corridor, a transformation is underway – one that blends education, housing, culture, and community into a single, visionary redevelopment. At the center of it all is Vancouver Community College (VCC), a public post-secondary education institution with deep roots in the city and a bold plan for the future.

The challenge?

Faced with aging infrastructure and growing academic needs, VCC found itself at a crossroads: how to modernize its campus while remaining financially sustainable and responsive to the community around it. That’s where the collaboration began, with a multidisciplinary team led by Urban Strategies Inc. along with Avison Young and Francl Architecture. Avison Young Consulting’s role was to take the overall vision for the built form, and blend market and financial realities to make the project feasible and scalable.

Through detailed real estate assessments, capital planning, and development feasibility studies, the team helped VCC envision a campus that would:

Deliver 264,824 square feet of new academic space
Integrate seven residential towers with 1,800 housing units, including affordable housing
Include retail and commercial spaces to activate the streetscape; and
Reflect Indigenous values through a cultural ribbon that traces the historic path of China Creek.

With the planning phase complete, VCC is now preparing to submit a full plan to the City of Vancouver for approval along with a business case to the Province of British Columbia for funding. The College has already re-engaged the Avison Young-led team for the next phase – proof of a successful partnership and a shared commitment to bringing this vision to life.

https://www.avisonyoung.ca/viewpoints/fall-2025/reimagining-a-campus