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Summary: Former Molson Brewery site ODP amendment
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The City of Vancouver is proposing to change the land use designation of the former Molson Brewery site from Industrial to Mixed Use. At this stage, no specific designs or development plans have been proposed.
What is being considered now:
- Changing the site’s land use designation from Industrial to Mixed-Use in Vancouver’s Official Development Plan
- Setting high-level guiding principles for future planning
What could be considered in the future as part of a Rezoning Application:
- Site layout, building types and heights
- Details on the types and amount of new development (residential, office, retail, services, hotel, tech, light industrial, etc.)
- Transportation improvements
- Public amenities and open space
- Timelines and phasing of development
Overview
The City of Vancouver is proposing to amend the Vancouver Official Development Plan (Vancouver ODP) for the former Molson Brewery site at the southwest end of the Burrard Bridge. The amendment would change the site’s land use designation from “Industrial and Employment” to “Mixed-Use High-Rise 2.” It would also change the site’s land use designation in the City’s Regional Context Statement from “Industrial” to “General Urban”. The re-designation would support mixed-use development, which could include:
- A range of building types and heights, including buildings over 26 storeys
- New and diverse employment spaces, such as office, retail, hotel, service, tech and light industrial uses
- Residential uses
- Public amenities and open space
Site history
The Molson Brewery was built in 1953 when False Creek was surrounded by heavy industry and connected to the region by CP Railway tracks that are no longer in use. The brewery closed in 2019, when the company moved to a larger facility in Chilliwack with better access to regional goods movement connections via Highway 1.
Over the past 70 years, the surrounding area has transformed into a mixed-use neighbourhood (Figure 1) including:
- Residential land to the east and west (False Creek South and Kits Point)
- Light industrial and employment land to the south and east (the Burrard Slopes’ Armoury District and Granville Island)
- Park space to the north (Vanier Park).
In addition, the Squamish Nation is currently developing Sen̓áḵw, a high-density mixed-use project of 6,000+ purpose-built rental units next to the former Molson Brewery site to the northeast.
Figure 1: Former Molson Brewery site location and context.City Council direction
In July 2025, City Council directed staff through a Council Motion (PDF, 30 KB) to report back with site-specific information on land use considerations for five industrial locations. The purpose was to identify sites that are appropriate for housing development and could be considered for re-designation from “Employment or Industrial” to “General Urban” in the Metro 2050: Regional Growth Strategy (RGS). These locations included the former Molson Brewery site.
In February 2026, Council directed staff (PDF, 0.6 MB) to prepare an application to amend the Vancouver ODP to change the former Molson Brewery site’s land use designation from “Industrial and Employment” to “Mixed-Use High-Rise 2.”Rationale for land use change
Together, the following factors indicate that the former Molson Brewery site is suitable for mixed-use redevelopment:
1. The neighbourhood has changed.
- When the brewery was built, the area was largely industrial. Today, the site is surrounded by homes, parks and mixed-use neighbourhoods.
2. Heavy industry would create conflicts.
- Typical heavy industrial uses under the site’s existing M-2 zoning (PDF, 0.3 MB) (e.g., manufacturing, distribution and repair) generate noise, emissions and truck traffic that could potentially be dangerous and are not compatible with nearby housing.
3. The site no longer functions well as industrial land.
- The site no longer has rail access or strong connections to regional truck routes, which are essential for modern industrial operations and goods movement. This makes it poorly suited for heavy industry compared to other industrial areas in the city.
Opportunities for the site
There is a unique opportunity to capitalize on the site’s size and central location within Vancouver to deliver diversified employment spaces together with residential uses and public amenities.
More suitable job space for the site could include office, retail, service, hotel, tech and light industrial uses (laboratories, production studios or creative manufacturing). These uses can be developed in combination with housing, with appropriate mitigation measures.
Benefits of mixed-use redevelopment of the site include:
- New jobs close to where people live
- New housing in a central location
- Public amenities and open space as part of redevelopment
Process
Enabling the site to be redeveloped as a mixed-use community requires several City of Vancouver and Metro Vancouver approval steps:
1. Application to amend the Vancouver ODP and Regional Context Statement.
- This is what we are currently looking for feedback on. An amendment to the Vancouver ODP and the City’s Regional Context Statement would change the site’s land use designation from Industrial to Mixed-Use. See Figure 2 for more details on this process.
2. Application to Metro Vancouver to amend the Metro 2050: Regional Growth Strategy.
- If City Council approves Step 1, the City will apply to Metro Vancouver to re-designate the site from Industrial to General Urban in the Metro 2050: Regional Growth Strategy.
3. Rezoning.
- If the Metro Vancouver Board approves the Metro 2050: Regional Growth Strategy amendment (Step 2), the Vancouver ODP and Regional Context Statement amendments will be presented to City Council for enactment.
- This would enable Concord Pacific, the landowner, to submit a Rezoning Application for the site. The Rezoning Application would include further public consultation and be brought to Council for consideration at a public meeting.
Figure 2: Steps for amending the Vancouver ODP and the City's Regional Context Statement (2026).Get involved
We are seeking feedback on the proposal to re-designate the former Molson Brewery site from Industrial to Mixed-Use. Please provide your feedback to help us develop guiding principles on a variety of topics including:
- Reconciliation
- Land uses (jobs and employment, housing)
- Urban design
- Transportation (transit, vehicles and parking, active transportation)
- Public benefits
- Open spaces
Your feedback will help shape:
- Guiding principles that Council will consider when deciding whether to amend the Vancouver ODP and Regional Context Statement.
- Future planning directions if the site proceeds to rezoning.
Let us know what you think! Take our survey in English or Simplified Chinese and subscribe to our mailing list for project updates to stay informed.
