Vancouver staff recommend council reject 151-room Seymour Street hotel

A proposed 151-room hotel at 852-872 Seymour St. would sit as close as 36 feet (about 11 metres) from a downtown condominium tower, and City of Vancouver staff say that is one reason council should turn it down, Daily Hive Vancouver reported, citing the staff report.

Staff recommend sending the application to a public hearing, then rejecting it, a rare move. Council will consider the referral report at its Nov. 17 public meeting. A hearing is not legally required, but staff want one because of public feedback and potential impacts on two adjacent properties, which gives neighbours and residents a formal chance to weigh in.

The project, designed by Arno Matis Architecture for developer Bene Group, would include a 2,500 sq. ft. restaurant and bar at street level and about 82,500 sq. ft. of floor area, with two underground levels holding about 18 vehicle parking spaces. It would preserve the front facade of the 1926 building, which the previous council protected through heritage designation in 2023.

The gap to the Vita tower to the south compares with a typical City standard of at least 60 feet from adjacent residential uses. Seven guest rooms in the neighbouring 390-room Marriott tower at 848 Seymour St., expected to open in 2028, would face exclusively into a small lightwell on the northern property line. Staff said plans for the site contemplated a building of about seven storeys when the Marriott's rezoning was approved in 2023.

Staff concluded the form of development would hurt how the building fits its context and affect surrounding properties. Council could still approve the project, and the report includes draft zoning provisions and conditions for that outcome.