A new proposal by TELUS and Ledcor aims to transform a long-standing utility site in Kitsilano into a 25-storey rental tower with an integrated, modern telecommunications facility.
Submitted on behalf of TELUS Living, the rezoning application targets the corner lot at 2022–2212 West 10th Avenue — a five-minute walk from the future Arbutus SkyTrain station and 99 B-Line exchange, and just east of Connaught Park. The site is currently home to TELUS’ aging B.C. Telephone Cedar Exchange Building, built in 1945, and a surface parking lot.
According to Daily Hive Urbanized, the project is made possible by Telus’ shift from copper wires to fibre optics, which require far less physical space.
A new, downsized utility building — just 9,300 square feet across three levels, including two underground — will be constructed on the laneway side of the property in the first phase of the redevelopment. Once complete, the original building will be demolished to make way for the residential tower.
The proposed tower will contain 221 secured purpose-built rental homes, including 176 market-rate units and 45 below-market units, in accordance with the Broadway Plan’s affordability targets. The unit mix includes 38 studios, 95 one-bedrooms, 65 two-bedrooms, and 23 three-bedrooms.
In a nod to sustainability, the project incorporates a waste heat recovery system that captures excess heat from the telecom servers and repurposes it to provide space heating and hot water for the residential units — reducing emissions, energy use, and cooling costs.
If approved, the redevelopment will add substantial new rental stock to Kitsilano — an area traditionally dominated by low-rise housing — and further densify the corridor ahead of the Broadway Subway’s arrival in 2027.
Last modified: April 25, 2025
