Developer reveals picture of proposed tower at Commercial Dr.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – An update on a story we brought you last week, about some people living in the Commercial Drive area wondering why there wasn’t more concrete information about a proposed tower in their neighbourhood.

The developer and its non-profit partner have now unveiled some new images of the building.

The developer Boffo Properties has plans for a 12-storey building at Commercial and Venables, incorporating a revamped drop-in centre for the Kettle Society, plus supportive and market units.

The images show a bustling street-level retail space, an outdoor square and trees growing from the roof-top.

The company’s Daniel Boffo says the new pictures show how all of those aspects will complement each other.

“We put together some architectural renderings to better show the real aspect of the project, blending the social and market components, to show an inclusive community,” says Boffo.

Some neighbours say the tower is too high for that corner, but Boffo says the 200 condos will make the project financially self-sustaining.

Maria Holman, chair of the Kettle Friendship Society, the organization that has formed a partnership with the developer, explains why the images are being released now.

“We’ve been working on this for a number of years. We thought it was important to get this right. We want to be respectful of the community,” she says.

The No Tower coalition has collected about 3,500 online and on-paper signatures, but Holman insists they, too, have significant support – from local businesses, from people visiting their website and from homeless advocates.

The new building would enlarge the Kettle’s drop-in centre for the mentally ill, plus provide them with housing, with another 200 condos available to the general public.

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