A proposed $500-million real-estate development near the north end of the Burrard Bridge could provide the city with a new art gallery. Jon Stovell, president of Reliance Properties Ltd., told the Straight by phone that in return for obtaining higher density on the site, his company and Jim Pattison Developments Ltd. will have to provide amenities to the city.

These could include a daycare centre built for the city, rental apartments, a car share, and a gallery, possibly with a small performance space. “We have space on the ground floor that faces the courtyard and also comes out on Hornby Street,” Stovell said. “We would be planning to work with the city’s cultural-affairs department to turn that over to somebody.”

Reliance and Jim Pattison Developments have assembled 23 lots on Burrard and Hornby streets north of Drake Street. They have proposed building three towers of 48, 36, and 13 storeys along with a seven-storey podium in the so-called Burrard Gateway development. The project would comprise 750,000 square feet of space, including office, residential, and retail uses, as well as a glass-enclosed, three-storey Toyota auto dealership showroom.

Stovell likened the Burrard Gateway project to the Wall Centre, which also has two smaller towers and one large tower, as well as a podium. He noted that if the city approves his development, the site will be open to pedestrian and vehicle traffic moving in east-west and north-south directions.

He said that Reliance and Jim Pattison Developments hope to transfer density from a Downtown Eastside heritage building called the Burns Block, where Reliance is developing affordable microloft rental suites.

Earlier this year, Concert Properties filed a rezoning application to develop a 31-storey tower at 1304 Hornby Street. In addition, Stovell said that Amacon plans to redevelop the Commercial Electronics site at 1305 Burrard Street. He added that this is a “natural consequence” of the city curbing residential development in the downtown business district as part of its Metropolitan Core Jobs and Economy Land Use Plan.

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