Breka Bakery & Cafe cooks up 30-storey hotel development near Marine Drive and Cambie

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The owners of Vancouver’s Breka Bakery & Cafe chain have proposed a 30-storey mixed-use building near the south end of Cambie Street that would include 324 hotel rooms and one of its bakeries on the ground level.

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The site at 8555 Cambie St. is currently an auto dealership in an industrial area between the Marine Drive Canada Line Station and the Fraser River, so the project requires a rezoning to comprehensive development.

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The building would be 119 metres high with a four-storey lower podium. An industrial bakery is planned on the ground floor along with a main hotel entrance fronting onto Cambie Street. A restaurant would be on the 30th floor, and the hotel’s fitness, meeting and conference rooms would occupy parts of the fifth to 10th storeys.

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“The proposal responds to the growing demand for visitor accommodation and (city) council’s directive to increase hotel space outside of downtown Vancouver,” said the project partners, which include BDK Development Corp., Sea to Sky Architecture and RR Planning Ltd.

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Project developer Daisen Gee-Wing said the original plan was for the main Breka industrial bakery to be on-site, though it might not be large enough given the continuing expansion of Breka cafés in Metro Vancouver.

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“But there definitely will be another Breka Bakery at this location,” said Gee-Wing.

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Early renderings of a hotel development anchored by a Breka Bakery is in the works on Cambie Street just south of the Marine Drive Canada Line station. Photo by Breka Laurel Holdings

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Gee-Wing said his development team has a commitment from a hotel brand that will be made public when the process is further along. Gee-Wing noted the rezoning may not get near the finish line until the end of 2026 or early 2027 because of the upcoming municipal elections.

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In 2021, the City of Vancouver developed a new policy framework for the low-rise industrial area known as Marine Landing, now adjacent to a major transit hub along the Canada Line, that would include more intensive industrial spaces along with a build-out of residential, commercial and public uses. The developers say this mixed-use hotel and commercial project fits into that plan.

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The design includes photovoltaic panelling on the south face to produce renewable energy for the building.

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“We believe that the addition of hotel, employment and industrial spaces this project delivers, as well as the photovoltaic panel designs and ground-floor public realm enhancements, support livability, health and sustainability in Marine Landing,” the project booklet said.

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The proposal is still being evaluated by city staff, and is set for a formal public question-and-answer session in November. In the meantime, the city is taking comments and questions about this and other projects at shapeyourcity.ca.

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Early renderings of a hotel development anchored by a Breka Bakery is in the works on Cambie Street just south of the Marine Drive Canada Line station. Photo by Breka Laurel Holdings

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The location of the proposed mixed-use development near the south end of Cambie Street. Photo by Breka Laurel Holdings

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