---
title: "OneCity proposes turning Kingsgate Mall into a school, rental housing, and community centre"
description: "OneCity Vancouver says it would push to redevelop the 3.2-acre Kingsgate Mall site at East Broadway and Kingsway into a mixed-use complex if its candidates win seats on October 17."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/news/onecity-kingsgate-mall-school-housing-october-9"
last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:01:08.171Z"
---

[OneCity](/parties/onecity) says it would push to redevelop Kingsgate Mall into a school, rental housing, a community centre, and potentially a 50-metre swimming pool if its candidates win seats on October 17. Daily Hive reported on the proposal on October 10, 2026.

The mall sits on a 3.2-acre site at the corner of East Broadway and Kingsway, owned by the Vancouver School Board. The party is proposing a mixed-use complex that would include a public school, affordable and subsidized secured purpose-built rental housing for School Board employees, a community centre, general public childcare, Indigenous childcare, and before-and-after-school care. The proposed school would include what the party calls "a vertical flex space."

OneCity also says it would examine whether a new 50-metre pool for Mount Pleasant could be placed on the Kingsgate Mall site. The party identifies Mount Pleasant as one of three locations that should be explored for a 50-metre pool, following plans to demolish the West End's Vancouver Aquatic Centre and replace it with a new 25-metre facility.

## The lease and rent dispute

The land is owned by the School Board but has been leased to developer Beedie for 99 years. The lease began in 1972 under an earlier entity and was taken over by Beedie in 2005. In March 2026, the BC Court of Appeal ruled in Beedie's favour in a rent dispute with the School Board, setting annual basic rent at $1.65 million for the 2017 to 2027 lease term. A 2022 arbitration had set the rent at $9.6 million and valued the land at $116.5 million, but the appeal court held that an earlier interpretation of the lease remained binding, keeping the land value at $20 million for rent purposes.

OneCity says redevelopment could provide the School Board with a larger source of annual operating revenue through rent and payments for rights to use portions of the property or build above it.

## Also: a Britannia rebuild

The same plan also proposes rebuilding the entire 18-acre Britannia civic site in East Vancouver's Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood. OneCity calls this "One Britannia" and says it would bring Britannia's elementary and secondary schools together with a new community centre, ice rink, other recreational spaces, non-market housing, childcare, and food programs.

OneCity does not have a mayoral candidate in this election. William Azaroff withdrew from the race and endorsed Green Party of Vancouver candidate Pete Fry. The party is running candidates for City Council, Park Board, and School Board.

## What this means for voters

City Council, Park Board, and School Board are all chosen in the same ballot on October 17. All three bodies would need to work together for a Kingsgate Mall redevelopment to proceed. You can see each candidate's position and party platform at voche.me, and find your voting place at the [where-to-vote page](/where-to-vote).

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.