Office tower planned for Vancouver Bay building

VANCOUVER - The redevelopment plan for the Hudson's Bay building in downtown Vancouver will include a 12-storey office tower that keeps the century-old facade of the retail store.

Hudson's Bay Co. and its partner RioCan Real Estate Trust announced the plans Wednesday, saying the Bay store will remain at the site downtown along with other retail businesses as part of the redevelopment.

They say in a news release that there will be about 32,500 square metres of retail space and another 93,000 square metres of office space in the tower.

The companies plan to improve access from the building to a SkyTrain station directly below, as well as to a Canada Line subway station across the street.

There will also be underground storage for up to 1,500 bicycles and a public pedestrian walkway with covered access to the building.

The news release says construction could start in early 2024 after an application is made to the city for rezoning, which could take about a year.