172 Cordova Street Breaks Ground in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
On August 11, Terra and project partners gathered at 172 Cordova Street in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to celebrate the start of construction on an 11-storey mixed-use development situated on the traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples.
The new building will provide homes for intergenerational families, seniors, Elders, and people with disabilities. Ground-floor retail spaces will provide space for local vendors, while the UBC Learning Exchange will have a new home where it can continue to provide low-barrier, free community programs, experiential learning opportunities, and support for community-driven research. The building will also include a shared community theatre for local community arts groups and an 11th-floor gathering space. Together, these spaces will support connection, learning, arts, and community life in the Downtown Eastside.
The building’s design also reflects the histories and communities that have shaped the neighbourhood. A project team that included a civic historian and an Indigenous consultant developed the design to recognize the histories of Indigenous, Chinese-Canadian, Japanese-Canadian, and other racialized groups with long histories in the Downtown Eastside. Through this living heritage conservation approach, the project honours the neighbourhood’s past while strengthening community continuity.
In 2023, MAC Development & Housing Society, a partnership between Lu'ma Native BCH Housing Society and Dogwood Holdings Society (Affordable Housing Society), with the support of Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House, stepped in to build on the vision started by Tomo Spaces. MAC will be the project owner and operator once construction is completed in 2028. Together, these organizations bring more than a century of experience in social services, multicultural programming, and affordable housing.
As development consultant, Terra worked alongside MAC to coordinate the design, funding, and development process, aligning partners and navigating the approvals needed to move the project forward. When tender results showed that construction costs exceeded financial viability, Terra guided a redesign from mass timber to concrete construction. The team achieved the cost savings needed to move forward while preserving the project’s cultural expression and design intent, including the large family posts featured inside and outside the building.
Terra also worked with MAC to secure commitments across multiple government programs and funders. Terra coordinated applications, aligned the project pro forma, and navigated funding and compliance requirements to turn funding opportunities into construction-ready commitments.
Thank you to our partners on this project, including Dogwood Holdings Society (Affordable Housing Society), Lu'ma Native Housing Society, Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House, UBC Learning Exchange, Tomo Spaces, City of Vancouver, BC Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Build Canada Homes, Sniw̓ Consultants, MA+HG Architects, and Axiom Builders.
Learn more about the project here.