CD-1 Rezoning 5027-5053 Boundary Road
Motion 53 · Council Meeting, July 29, 2026
Summary
- A rezoning application for four vacant parcels at 5027–5053 Boundary Road (near Joyce-Collingwood SkyTrain) proposes a 21-storey mixed-use building with 216 social housing units and ground-floor commercial space, including a 74-space childcare facility.
- The site is within Tier 3 of the Transit-Oriented Area (TOA) designation, which normally allows up to 8 storeys and 3.0 FSR; however, the TOA Rezoning Policy allows greater height and density for 100% social housing projects, supporting the proposed 74 m height and 8.0 FSR.
- The Vancouver Official Development Plan also provides a height exception for sites where all residential floor space is allocated to social housing, enabling this project to exceed the standard low-rise designation for the area.
- Four levels of underground parking would be accessed from the rear lane, and a rooftop amenity level is included in the building design.
- The surrounding neighbourhood consists primarily of single-detached homes and townhomes, with existing low-rise apartment buildings immediately adjacent to the north and south of the site.
- The General Manager of Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability recommends approval in principle, subject to conditions including a Housing Agreement By-law to secure the social housing units in perpetuity.
Report Images
Public comments
Read all 2 statements
Transcript
125 segments
And that passes unanimously. And that completes item number 19.
Okay, moving along. Item number 21. Thank you. CD-1 rezoning 5027 through 5053, Boundary Road. Before we begin this agenda item, are there any conflicts of interest to disclose? No. This item does have a presentation. Councillor Zhou, move to waive. Seconded by Councillor Klassen. Any discussion? All those in favour of waiving the presentation, say aye. All those opposed, say nay. One, two, three. So, clerk, is it simple majority? Okay. So, and did you get that for the record, councillors, or Bly and Fry opposed? Okay, so we will waive the presentation. Would the applicant like to make a presentation?
Good afternoon, councillors. Adam Gruchella for MOSIS Architecture. We don't have a presentation to make today, but we're happy to answer any questions from council.
Thank you very much. Council, you have up to five minutes to ask questions of team members to the applicant. Are there any questions? Councillor Fry, please go ahead.
Yeah, so a question, I guess, for staff. This is being approved as a social housing project. I looked and I can't find anything really of note about the applicant as a social housing provider. How does this work?
Are they the sole applicant as well? under MSIAC rezoning plan around the project. There's two applicants on the file, two property owners, but when it comes to the non-profit that's going to be operating, I'll defer answering more specifics around that to our housing staff, and then maybe the applicant can supplement with some of their experience and background as well.
Yeah, and I'm curious because, you know, obviously we have some rigor around social housing providers, and then we just had the earlier conversation around VRS, and so I'm curious how this knits together. And to hear from the applicant, too, sure.
Thank you for the question. The applicant has indicated that they are partnering with Orpheus Housing Society, and they're a newly established nonprofit organization.
So do we, where do we show the sort of the rigor in selecting or in determining nonprofit housing providers?
Yeah, I mean, we don't regulate who and select the operator if it's a non-profit operator for a site unless it's a city-owned site. So in this case, it can be owned and operated by a non-profit that's not selected by the city. But we have, in this case, asked for documentation to verify their status as a registered non-profit, and they have provided that to the city.
Okay, I mean, this is a significantly scaled project to deliver nonprofit housing for an organization that has never done nonprofit. In the event that they aren't able to fulfill their obligation under this, I'm assuming there's a covenant that ties it to be nonprofit housing, or does it tie it to that organization?
So there will be a housing agreement registered on title that will require the building to be owned by a non-profit organization or government. So that will be a requirement tied to the site, the housing agreement in place, that it's non-profit or government-owned social housing.
So in the event that Orpheus is unable to fulfill their obligation, it would... necessitate a new nonprofit to run the before occupancy?
That's correct. There will be a hold on the occupancy permit. It will not be issued until there is proof that it is on title, that it's owned by a nonprofit or government entity.
Good morning, Mayor and members of Council. My name is Leo Pascalidis. I am a founder of Orpheus Housing Society of Canada, as well a licensed realtor, working professional, a licensed mortgage broker, a developer and builder for the last 22 to 25 years. of experience in real estate, finance, and development construction. Joining with me in this project is my partner, who is Mr. Gurdesh Dhillon, founder and owner of Morrison Windows, who brings decades of experience in manufacturing, business operations, community investments. Together, our team represents more than 60 years of combined experience in the real estate development, construction, financing, and project delivery. First and foremost, I would like to sincerely thank the mayor, members of council, staff, consultants, and everyone who has contributed their time and expertise throughout the rezoning process. We recognize the tremendous amount of work that has gone into evaluating projects of this scale. We truly appreciate and collaborate with effort that has gone or has brought to us to this point. Pretty much just a breakdown of who I am. I've been a licensed builder and developer for decades. I've done more than 500 units of rental management in my career. I've done real estate acquisitions for commercial residential. I've financed commercial residential construction through CMHC. I'm very well known with the ACLP program when it comes to financing multifamily developments and what the criteria is for debt servicing to service the loans. And so being that I have the background of... And I'm sure we're at time.
Yes, Mayor, thanks. I'm happy to let you finish, and then I have a question for you.
It's the applicant.
It's the applicant. Yeah, but these are, we're in questions now. We're not in a presentation by the applicant. It's different.
Just questions. So if you could reset my timer, Clarice. Just continue with your response, and then I have a question for you.
Thanks. Pretty much, tonight we are here to present Morrison Park, a project that represents much more than a residential building. It is a long-term investment in housing, affordability, community well-being, economic reliance, and environmental sustainability. Housing affordability remains one of the greatest challenges facing Vancouver today. Family, seniors, essential workers, young professionals, and individuals entering the housing market continue to struggle to find stable, secure, and affordable place to live. We believe private industry, nonprofit organizations, and government must work together to help address this challenge. Morrison Park has been designated to do exactly that. The project will provide 216 purpose-built rental homes within a mixed income community consisting of approximately 30% affordable housing, which is social housing, and 70% market rental. The balanced approach allows the market rental component to support the long-term financial viability of the affordable housing while creating a diverse and inclusive community where people from different backgrounds and income levels can live together.
One of the features we are particularly proud of is its inclusive 74-space licensed child daycare facility, which will not only serve families living within the development, but will also provide an important community amenity of the surrounding neighborhood. Access to quality child care is essential to supporting working families, encouraging early childhood education and strengthening neighborhoods. Beyond housing, our objective is to create a complete community of residents that have access to services that improve quality of life and encourage long-term stability. As the economic environment continues to evolve, developments must also evolve. Projects can no longer focus solely on constructing buildings. They must also consider affordability environmentally, responsibility, operating efficiency, and long-term resilience. Every successful development requires a strong financial foundation, but we also believe every development should deliver multiple benefits to the community, not just one. The philosophy has guided every decision. That philosophy has guided every decision we have made throughout the planning of Morrison Park. The project has been designed to support families strengthening the local economy, create employment opportunities during construction and long-term operations, generate a significant property tax revenue and contribute positively to the surrounding neighborhood for decades to come. Looking towards the future, Morrison Park has been planned with sustainability and innovation in mind. While today, applications focus on the residential development itself, we believe future communities should be designed to integrate emerging clean energy technologies, improve building efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions wherever practical. Our long-term vision is to ensure developments like Morrison Park remain adaptable to future technologies that benefit both residents and the broader community. The project represents years of planning, engineering, collaboration, and consultation with the city staff, professional consultants, and numerous stakeholders. We have worked diligently to ensure the proposed aligns with the city's planning objectives while delivering meaningful public benefit. On behalf of Orpheus' Housing Society of Canada, our entire consulting team, and our partners, I would like to sincerely thank staff through professionalism guidance dedicated throughout this process. Their expertise has been invaluable in helping shape a project that we believe will serve Vancouver well for generations. Finally, I would like to thank the mayor, members of council, for our time, consideration, and commitment to addressing one of the most important issues facing our city today. We respectfully ask for your support of the Morrison Park social housing development. Together, we have the opportunity to deliver not only much-needed housing, but also a stronger, more inclusive, and more resilient community for current and future generations. Thank you, and I would be pleased to answer any of your questions, Councilman Hebb.
Councilman Domenaro, you have the floor.
for this project. My other question is, have you done this before, undertaken a project like this, a social housing project?
I've built commercial before. I've done commercial development. So I'm very familiar with how it works as far as the process goes and all the working professionals that are involved. So whether you're building a 10-story building or a six-story or even a three-story building, when it's commercial zoned, it's the same process. You still need civil engineers. You need working architectural professionals, mechanical, electrical, plumbing. And you basically need a team, a construction team.
Thank you.
Thanks very much. Happy to move a second round, just given the time has been used by some comments by the applicant.
Is there a seconder? Great. Any discussion? All in favor say yay. All opposed say nay. If that passes, we will have a second round.
Great. Just a couple of follow-up questions and appreciate, you know, in terms of, so first of all, the child care, do you have a proponent who's going to run the child care?
Yes, we do.
Can you share anything about the proponent?
Yeah, so we've met with Coastal Health on site, and they're very interested in the site. They're very happy. They're supportive. Um, the application is for 74, uh, 74 childcare facility. The facility is located on the rear side of the building. So it's private. It's West West facing. So there's sunlight. We have open exposure. There is about a 6,000 square feet of child.
So I see all that in the report. Don't we don't get a lot of time. So I just want to, yeah. So you met with VCH from a compliance perspective. Yes. Yeah. But do you have a private operator is what I was asking.
Yes, we do.
Are you able to share anything more about the private operator?
Yeah, so the operator would be working for Orpheus Housing Society.
So is it Orpheus Housing Society?
Yes, currently she operates and owns three facilities herself. And would you like the name of them?
Oh, it's up to you, whatever you like.
Yeah, so Swan Daycare is the childcare daycare facility provider, and they are the ones that were on site, and they're the ones that helped us design the building as well.
Okay, and given that it's social housing, and it sounds like this child care operator may have some affiliation to Orpheus in its social housing, as they say, how will the child care be structured in terms of affordability? As far as affordability goes... Is the goal to have the people who live in the social housing...
Absolutely. So we're not restricting the people that are occupying the building. In fact, we promote that.
But from an affordability perspective, do you expect?
Yeah, so there are subsidies available that they can apply for to help facilitate the cost to have children enrolled in daycare. And so as far as the economics go, I can't really get into how much those subsidies are, but I do know that the subsidies are available for any daycare, no matter where they're located in the city of Vancouver.
Well, it's up to the operator.
No.
Or you mean subsidies through the province?
Yeah, so all daycares, facilities that are operated, do work with subsidies, government subsidies.
That's what I mean, but you're not providing subsidies internally with the child care?
No, there is an internal space. It's 3,000 square feet and there's 6,000 square feet of exterior space in the building.
Sorry, if I'm not being clear, it's my fault. I'm just trying to get a clear picture of what's happening with the child care. I understand how subsidies work provincially. I'm just asking whether or not this privately owned child care will be structuring its business model to... to provide the most cost-effective or affordable child care to the residents that live, given it's a social housing building. What I'm hearing is they would need to go through a separate subsidy program.
No, we would be able to provide all that information for all the applicants that have children that come to the facility.
Okay. Your new society...
Of course, we all have to start somewhere.
Exactly. So what was your jumping off point? Because it's pretty noble to have 21 stories of social housing in this current environment. We don't actually see it a lot without significant government funding or other partners, but it's not clear from this application how you're structuring this.
So basically, I'm one of the founders of Orpheus Housing Society. The other founder is my partner. His name is Gertesh S. Dillon. He's the owner and operator of Morrison Windows.
Together, we've created an alliance to create Orpheus Housing Society so that we can build social housing development throughout the lower mainland. So it's not just a one-off of 21 stories.
Do you receive government subsidy for your housing?
Unfortunately, subsidies are not available at this time.
So you're doing it all.
That's correct. So we're, we're financing it ourselves. We're backing the mortgage with CMHC through the ACLP program. And so with our financial capacity combined together, we can facilitate projects of this magnitude.
Okay. I'll leave it there. It's my time. I'll come back on. Thanks.
Yeah, so it's very interesting and somewhat unusual. I actually don't see Orpheus in the report. I saw it in the rendering package. The applicants being the two numbered companies, is that you and your partner?
The numbered company is the holding company of the property, and Orpheus Housing Society is a completely separate company that is registered as a society.
The two numbered companies are the ones that are holding the property as we speak, yes.
Okay. Maybe, and this is maybe over to staff, because again, this is... Not consistent. Yeah, thank you, Leo. Just as far as the FSR being proposed here is quite a leap from the outright. And it's not necessarily consistent with the transit-oriented areas. It's specifically because this is coming in as a social housing application.
A stipulation in the TOA and ODP where there's additional flexibility for higher density because of 100% social housing.
And so this prescribed higher density is compliant with the TOA social housing construct?
It is, yes. Okay. And as we're defining the social housing, that means... owned by a nonprofit society with 20% below market? It would be 3% at Hills. 3% at Hills. Okay. Is this, I mean, I can't recall an application similar to this. Is this fairly, I mean, just the brand new housing provider. I'm just worried that this is setting a precedent for like a pretty significant upzoning where on a new product, basically.
When it comes to nonprofits and new ones being set up to manage, I'll refer to our housing staff to maybe supplement that. But when it comes to reviewing projects and whether they're setting precedent, we look at those on a set-by-set basis. You're agnostic, yeah, for sure.
Dan Garrison, Director of Housing Policy and Regulation. So this is not a usual situation for a new housing society to be proposing a project of this particularity, of this scale, but we do have examples in the past of new housing societies forming and putting projects forward, if I think... It wasn't that many years ago that Catalyst Community Development Society was a brand-new housing society with no track record putting projects forward, and so they've grown to be one of the larger operators in the region. So I understand the line of questioning because this is unusual, but, I mean, we do deal with new housing societies forming.
you do a performer review and do you check the kind of yeah we generally do a check what we what we generally find is with non-profit projects like rental projects are having trouble penciling right now so as soon as you put on the requirement that 30 percent of the units rent to households with incomes below the housing income limits rent geared to income that sort of thing it tends to mean the projects would require some some form of investment to make them happen So we don't typically see things like land lift or challenges with performer reviews on these projects. I will say there will be covenants on title that will require the site and the building to be beneficially and legally owned by a nonprofit society or government agency. So that will be in place.
Thanks.
This is a question for staff. In terms of the child care, are we familiar with the child care operator on child care? I know they're not necessarily part of the applicant. The only reason I ask is there's a Shape Your City application from 2023, and I wonder if that went through all the way to DP, and we know that that's actually been built.
We had conversations with the applicant around providing a space for a child care provider, and we understood that that space was not secured through this application. We're not familiar with additional details beyond that, Counselor.
Okay. Maybe I can just ask, because it is under the Orpheus social housing, this swan child care you mentioned?
Yes, that's correct.
So... What happened with this site at 3604 Tanner Street? Did that get constructed, or is that a home-based child care?
3604 Tanner Street is not us.
Well, on your website, it says Swan Child Care, and it says location.
That's Swan Child Care, yes. So Swan Child Care is a separate entity. It's not owned by us. It's owned by a third party, and that third party assisted us in designing and laying out the facility with regards to the timelines of the children entering and playing and is going to be managing or a part of Orpheus managing the daycare facility.
Okay. Are they a current child care provider?
Yes, they are.
Do they have locations that you're aware of?
They have three locations, yes.
Okay. It's just, yeah, there's... Just because you offered that up, there is no record of their other locations, so I'm not familiar. I'll come off and allow Councillor Kirby-Young, and then I'll come back on.
Yeah, thanks. I'll be brief. I haven't asked questions yet, but I don't intend to be long. A question, I guess, for staff, just to clarify, and I think Council's doing its due diligence around a new operator we're not familiar with, and I... really appreciate how difficult these projects are to deliver. So my question is not to cast any aspersion. It's just to provide counsel with assurance. There is a covenant on these units. So say, for example, the building were to be constructed, that covenant to covenant the full building as social housing would restrict any future change of tenure to market or something else. Is that correct?
I'd like our housing staff to take that question now, please.
Thank you for the question. Sarah Robin, housing. That's correct. At occupancy, when the building is completed, there is a coveted in place that it can only be occupied as social housing.
For 60 years of the life of the building? Are those the parameters?
That's correct. That's the only tenure.
Okay. And the applicant is well aware of that?
They're aware, and it's a condition of approval.
Okay. Thank you.
Sorry, I had someone in my ear here. Okay. Yes. Thank you. Seconded by Councillor Klassen. Council, is there any discussion?
Okay.
All right.
Yeah, I appreciate the discussion and, you know, the opportunity to ask questions. It's actually quite unusual that we have an application, I think, like this without sort of just a clear roadmap of how this actually becomes successful in terms of financing the project at the end of the day. I have, based on what you shared, and I can only go by what we've heard from the applicant, I appreciate you being here. I'm left with more questions than answers, to be quite honest, in terms of how this works for you. And while I appreciate sort of how you've described the opportunity to provide below-market housing, affordable housing, Something just feels a little odd to me. Like, I'm not sure why electrification of charging, which we oftentimes are looking for and rarely come sort of fully planned out with a 74 space child care in this instance. The information I've gotten, I don't feel. leaves me with a tremendous amount of confidence that I've got the full picture here, I'm just saying, so not to cast any aspersions and appreciate we've got process in place, but these are quasi-judicial hearings for a reason, and while this is not a traditional public hearing, it still needs to sort of beat that threshold, and so I'm going to reserve my right to vote in accordance with what I have, and I don't feel like I have enough to really get a clear picture of how this goes from this stage all the way through to successful development. So I'm going to oppose today.
Yeah, thanks, Mayor. That actually triggered a question for me. At the point of parliamentary procedure for our clerks and legal staff is that in this new construct of rezoning items coming to council because they're prohibited from going to public hearing because of compliance with their ODP and provincial statutes, are these quasi-judicial proceedings anymore, or are they treated differently now?
Short answer is they're not a quasi-judicial setting. I think we did send some information along through council at one point to this effect. So it is still a council meeting, but we're not in the quasi-judicial public forum that you would have in a public hearing. So general counsel.
No, that's helpful.
And no, I appreciate that. I'll leave it there for now. Thanks.
Yeah, thanks very much. And there is, that's a very good point of clarification as we adjust to this new process, but gives me even more reason to pause. And I think I would have liked to have had more understanding and information outside of what's just sort of available in this process. So, again, we'll be voting against.
Mr. Fry? Yeah, I'm still struggling with some of the missing pieces on this, and I'm wondering if I could just ask one last question of staff through you, Chair. um have we come across scenarios where i mean we revise we do text amendments on approved applications all the time and come back and and change the parameters is it conceivable that if this doesn't play out as a social housing project that it comes back and it's like well look we've already built it can we just convert this into market and call it a day
Great question. So there's always opportunities for applicants to come back and seek modifications. We have processes between public hearing and enactment. We have processes after enactment. You considered a project earlier this week that is already built that was looking for changes in tenure from residential to hotel. So there are opportunities for that, and each project would be weighed on the merits of its application. In other circumstances earlier this week, it kind of still fit the new emerging policy out of that local plan. The enabling policy for this project, this scale right now, is because it's 100% social housing and for no other reason. Otherwise, the permissible policies are more like six to eight stories.
Right, and so, okay, I mean, but at the same time it's delivering housing, so if it was to come back as market housing, if for whatever reason it couldn't perform as a social housing, they wanted to get rid of the 30% hills, you could conceivably, staff would be bringing, for a future council, bringing back a text amendment to say, you know what, we're going to just make this market...
It would be also unusual, but a short answer is we intake projects, we must process them, we'll bring them to council for decision, and if the council of the day wanted to unwind components of that, you have the authority to do that through those systems. Whether or not it triggers a public hearing and details are all subject to whatever that application might be.
Okay, thanks, Templar. I appreciate that. I still have so many unanswered sort of questions in my head. I'm struggling to give full support to this. I'll probably end up abstaining because I just don't have the complete confidence in this.
Thanks. Just one further question through you, Chair, to staff is when did this application come in?
I'm just going to check my notes here, Councillor, for the exact date.
September 12th, 2025.
Just relatively quickly, that it's coming to public, or whatever this process is, to a council meeting, given the ODP. And your Orpheus was established in 2024?
that right applicant I don't know if he's there yeah okay okay um when one point of clarification we have been working with staff since October 2024 on a social housing project on this site that's when we submitted the formal letter of inquiry as the architect or as the applicant as the architect and the applicant so still this arrangement same arrangement yes
Okay. Okay.
Okay, one last question. This SWAN child care, I mean, that really is not something that the staff are going to be involved in, right? Because that really is a privately owned child care. That's between the applicant and the proponent of the child or the provider. That's correct, Counselor.
Okay.
Do we do any due diligence in looking into those things, given that, you know, child care is a pretty important public amenity and the conditions and regulations around providing child care are fairly, like, restricted? I hear there's, I think, 6,000 square feet of outdoor space?
There's 6,000 indoor space and 3,000 outdoor space. Okay. So 6,000 indoors. Okay.
Okay. Yeah, I mean, I appreciate the question so far. There are checks and balances, of course, for staff to be following up on this. I just have to say, I mean, even just having the light touch of information, 74 Space Child Care, the Swan Child Care, what I can find online looks like a pretty generic website with no locations other than an address that looks like in the basement of a house. So I really hope that staff can take that away and just... put a pin in that as a point of comment from this council, from me as a councillor now, that I have quite a lot of reservations about what that looks like and needs to be, the due diligence needs to be there, hopefully, as this moves through the process. So, again, I think at the end of the day, I just don't have enough information to vote in favor, but I may abstain. Thanks.
Statement Watch
Good afternoon, councillors. Adam Gruchella for MOSIS Architecture. We don't have a presentation to make today, but we're happy to answer any questions from council.
Statement Watch
Good morning, Mayor and members of Council. My name is Leo Pascalidis. I am a founder of Orpheus Housing Society of Canada, as well a licensed realtor, working professional, a licensed mortgage broker, a developer and builder for the last 22 to 25 years. of experience in real estate, finance, and development construction. Joining with me in this project is my partner, who is Mr. Gurdesh Dhillon, founder and owner of Morrison Windows, who brings decades of experience in manufacturing, business operations, community investments. Together, our team represents more than 60 years of combined experience in the real estate development, construction, financing, and project delivery. First and foremost, I would like to sincerely thank the mayor, members of council, staff, consultants, and everyone who has contributed their time and expertise throughout the rezoning process. We recognize the tremendous amount of work that has gone into evaluating projects of this scale. We truly appreciate and collaborate with effort that has gone or has brought to us to this point. Pretty much just a breakdown of who I am. I've been a licensed builder and developer for decades. I've done more than 500 units of rental management in my career. I've done real estate acquisitions for commercial residential. I've financed commercial residential construction through CMHC. I'm very well known with the ACLP program when it comes to financing multifamily developments and what the criteria is for debt servicing to service the loans. And so being that I have the background of... And I'm sure we're at time.