On Dec. 17, Vancouver city council approved the re-zoning of the city’s Burrard and Hornby area into a mixed-used development known as Burrard Gateway.

The project, which has been in the approval process for the last three years, will feature three LEED Gold certified buildings. It will feature a 13-storey office tower and two residential towers reaching 35 and 55 storeys in height. The 55-storey tower will become the third tallest in the city.

Of the 810 condominium units to be constructed, 87 will be secured for rental housing. The project also includes support for a $7-million LGBTTQ resource centre and $2 million for cultural facilities, investments backed by the city’s West End Community Plan.

On his website, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson refers to the development as an exciting project. “(It) will create jobs in Vancouver’s growing economy with substantial new downtown office and business space, and also delivers urgently-needed new rental housing, family housing and a long-awaited new neighbourhood centre for the LGBTTQ community,” he says.