Welcome to the Cohen Block.
It's the proposed rebrand for the redevelopment of the former Army and Navy store that fronted both West Hastings and West Cordova for more than 100 years. One of the buildings is even older, built in 1888. Renderings of the Cohen Block have been released by Michael Green Architecture who describe the project as a "renewal."
The images also include two additional historic buildings west of the old store which the new towers can be seen above.
One of the three planned towers is expected to reach 17 storeys.
"The project aims to help bring renewal to the area through commerce and secured rental housing — harnessing the history and spirit of the original Army and Navy store on the site," states the Micheal Green Architecture site.
While the properties would be renewed, the facades would remain on the historic buildings.
"Gastown Historic District is designated as a national historic site of Canada and the Dunn-Miller, Callister and McIntosh blocks are Class A and Class B registered heritage buildings, therefore heritage conservation is an important project priority," states a slide about the project.
A website has been launched for the project, listing the addresses as 36 West Cordova St. and 15 West Hastings St. The plans, as they stand now, are for a mixed office-commercial-residential development. Included in that are 155 new homes, with 44 of them operated as subsidized or below-market housing by the BC Indigenous Housing Society.
The housing would be in the tower near the intersection of Hastings and Main.
A 5,000-square-foot daycare is also included in the plan, with space for 37 children.
Office and retail space will take up about 246,800 square feet of space in the space above the West Cordova side of things.
The Cohen Block is named after the owners of the iconic Army and Navy store; the family is involved in the project.
The proponents are currently running a community outreach campaign before submitting their proposal to the city. A rezoning application is expected to be submitted in the spring or summer.
