Future of historic Vancouver building that once housed RCMP in jeopardy

The City of Vancouver says it's looking at options to move and renovate a historic building that once housed the RCMP headquarters, but there are no guarantees it will be able to do so.

Earlier this month, Vancouver approved an ambitious redevelopment of the 8.5-hectare parcel of land in the Cambie corridor that will see mixed-income housing, a cultural centre and dozens of daycare spaces.

One of the buildings on the site is a large Tudor Revival style structure that was built in 1914 and designed by Vancouver architect Samuel Maclure. It is listed on the Vancouver Heritage Registry.

Before it housed the RCMP, it was a boy's school, known as Fairmont Academy.

But the city says the building will be torn down if a new site for the structure can't be found.

"If a receiver site and use cannot be identified within the three-to-five-year time frame, then the building would be demolished," said a release from the city.

More than 400 affordable housing units are planned for the prime piece of real estate known as the Heather Lands, which is good news for a city in the grips of a housing crisis.

Altogether, the redevelopment will see 2,000 new homes, with plans to have condo towers in the middle of the site, and mid-rise buildings and town homes surrounding them. Plans also call for 1.6-hectares of  green space.

The land is jointly owned by a consortium of First Nations and the Canada Lands Company.

Local First Nations say the building evokes negative feelings because it rekindles memories of the RCMP's role in the unjust treatment of Indigenous people.

As as result, the consortium wants the Fairmont building off the Heather Street Lands, and has asked the City of Vancouver to move it elsewhere.

That's a big concern for Heritage Vancouver, which recently put the historic building on its recent Top 10 most endangered list.

"We would like a process where all owners and stakeholders come together and have a conversation about what should happen," said Bill Yeun, the executive director of Heritage Vancouver.

The city is aware of the building's heritage status and says if the building is moved, it would work toward maintaining requirements to meet those standards. This would retain and secure protection of the building.

"Relocation of a building of this size and identifying a suitable use will be challenging, but we will be exploring all options toward retaining the building," said the city statement.

Work will soon begin on rezoning the land, with construction beginning as early as 2020.