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B C B U S I N E S S . C A
J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y
2 0 2 5
When the Broadway Plan was in the process of being
implemented by the City of Vancouver, Wall went to
his grandmother with the plan of partnering with her
to start a company and redevelop a property, called
Hollybush, on Kitsilano's West 6th Avenue that has
been in the family since Peter Wall got it built in 1967.
The two created Hollybush Holdings and Colin
Wall presented an application to city hall for The Char-
lotte, a 23-storey tower containing 152 purpose-built
rental homes, including 122 market rental units and
30 below-market rental units. The entire fifth floor is
slated to be a childcare facility, with space for up to
37 kids, while the bottom floor will be designated for
retail and restaurant space.
"It was a big learning curve; I had never done any
of this on my own," says Wall. "I got a lot of help from
a lot of good people. And the city seemed to really like
our ideas."
Of course, that means the scores of residents who
currently live in the 48 units at Hollybush will be dis-
placed in the next few years. Wall has sympathy for
those people, many of whom have lived in the building
for decades. The city's rules state that the builder has
to offer existing residents a spot in the new building
at their same rent and pay for them to rent elsewhere
during the construction. Many in the industry are
curious how that's going to play out or whether it's
even possible, given how much cost the developers
have to carry.
"My grandma is a very sweet lady—she's gotten to
know a lot of the tenants, and my mother has been
helping her manage the place," says Wall. "They both
have a love for it and the people who live here. We
want to be fair and do everything we can and more to
help them with whatever they need—moving, moving
out fees, whatever that is. We hope they all come back,
truthfully. They're great tenants and great people who
make Kits what it is."
He admits, though, that it's not going to be an easy
process for them. "It's going to be annoying. They're
going to be put through some annoying things. We're
trying to make it as smooth as possible. Vancouver
needs more density, and I think they understand that.
We're doing everything we can do because we do care
about the people."
DEMOLITION
2:
STOREY TIME
Hollybush Holdings'
proposal for a 23-storey
building called The Charlotte
in Kitsilano was still in the
process of being greenlit
by the City of Vancouver
at press time. The project
aims to build 152 housing
units and provide daycare
space for up to 37 children
R e n d e r i n g s : F r a n c l A r c h i t e c t u r e I n c . / H o ll y b u s h H o l d i n g s
